


Creatures, Cults, and a Thing Called Love

by Bace_Jeleren



Category: Magic: The Gathering (Card Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Catholic School, F/F, Femslash, Horror, Monster Hunters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:21:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 48,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24397219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bace_Jeleren/pseuds/Bace_Jeleren
Summary: "I love you" is only the beginning when your new girlfriend is a monster hunter who deals in the horrific and the supernatural. Alena, in her final year at St. Avacyn's School for Girls, is in for the ride of her life when her new relationship with school-wide heartthrob, Hal, turns out to be more than what she had imagined. Werewolves, vampires, demons, rogue fae- Hal deals with them all to keep the city of Innistrad safe and peaceful, and now Alena is in on the secret, too! Will love conquer all, or will Alena's new life as a newbie monster hunter be more than she can chew?
Relationships: Hal/Alena
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

The first disappearance was at the beginning of the school year. A student in her fourth year at St. Avacyn's School for Girls suddenly vanished one night- didn't tell her roommate where she went, didn't leave a note, wasn't spotted by any of the nuns on duty that night, just up and walked out and never came back. Of course, the police got involved, and missing posters were made, but us students really didn't bat an eye. We got to a Catholic all-girls boarding school, where half of us are sent as a punishment. Girls running off isn't exactly uncommon and shocking. Some of us even rooted for the girl, on the run from a life she didn't want.

But, then a second girl went missing.

It was all the same story: left without telling anyone, made it passed security and vanished. Things started to get tense among the school staff. There was an assembly about it, and we were told that if we knew anything, that we needed to come forward- which nobody did, either out of some misguided moral reason or because legitimately nobody knew what happened to her. We kept our mouths shut, our heads down and kept the talk of what might have happened to her to hushed whispers and gossip.

Months went by, and a third and even a fourth student performed the same vanishing act. Parents started to get concerned, with a lot of them threatening to take their girls out of the school if something wasn't done or an explanation wasn't found. Us students went from low-key admiring these girls for escaping the system to live the lives they wanted, to low-key worrying about what exactly was going on. Before this particular year, I think there was only really one girl who tried to make a run for it, and the cops wound up bringing her back a few days later. Now, girls were vanishing like snow in June, and not even the authorities and all the missing posters they could print could locate them. We tried to move on, we _tried_ to ignore the subtle feeling of dread...

And then my roommate went missing: A good, god-fearing girl, who always said her prayers before bed-time. She left all of her belongings- all her photos of her family, her clothes, her bible, her crucifix necklace she was always clutching, _everything_. It didn't make any sense for her to suddenly decide to leave, and it made less sense for anybody to leave with nothing but the uniform on their back. But, just like the others, she disappeared, even though they had beefed up security, and even though the police patrolled the neighborhood twice as often as they used to.

But, unlike the others before her, her case was different, because they found her... or, rather, what was _left_ of her.

At first, all we got was news that they had found her body. The nuns refused to give us any more information, and reports on the actual news didn't paint much of a detailed picture either, instead choosing to talk about how much her family had loved her, and how she wanted to be a concert pianist, or something. Nobody dared share the gruesome details- until a trashy news site online somehow got access to photos taken at the crime scene. There was an attempt to keep the information from getting out. The site was shut down a day after publishing the story, but at that point, the damage had been done. It was out there on the internet, and once the message boards and horror blogs find something to latch onto, you might as well be fighting a forest fire with a squirt gun.

I remember one of my friends shoving her phone in my face, gasping and crying about it before the nun leading our class took it from her. I only saw a glimpse of the photo that went viral: the headless corpse with its entrails spilling out the other end, like a bunch of bad, disgusting sausage. That was all I needed, only a half-second glance. I never once tried looking the news up, myself, to try and see what was probably a lot more shots of the same horrifying thing. I wanted to forget what I saw, even though every time I return to my dorm room- to half the room cleaned out completely- I still remember the image.

"Don't tell the paparazzi anything." I remember a nun sternly telling me the day the news of just how bad the tragedy was got out. I'd been called into the head-master's office, like I was in trouble and had something to do with the crime. "Don't tell them you were her roommate. Don't give them anything to write about. Poor, dear Sofia has suffered enough, we don't want them to continue to make her death a spectacle."

After that, we all went about our days in fear that we might be next. We still have missing posters of the other girls who have gone missing, and we all can't help but wonder if they're still out there, torn apart and rotting, their mangled corpses still waiting to be found. Nobody talks about those girls like they're the lucky ones who escaped the system anymore. Nobody talks about them at all.

It's been a month now, I think to myself as I wander the halls between classes. It's been a month and we're all still drifting around like we're one, big funeral procession. It's been a month of holding our breath and waiting. And _fearing._

Losing myself in my own thoughts, I trip over my own two feet, dropping all my books to the floor. I withhold uttering the "goddamnit" that's right on the tip of my tongue, the familiar sight of a nun's habit in the corner of my vision. I've developed something of a sixth sense for when any of the nuns from the adjacent nunnery, who help to run the school, are around, and it's probably my most useless (and, at the same time, most helpful) skill. I don't think it's going to get me into any colleges, but it's certainly saved me a good, few smacks with a ruler. Instead of cursing, I mutter in frustration to myself as I get down on my hands and knees to gather my things.

And that's when I see her, at what could honestly be the worst or best angle, depending on how much of a conscience you have. In my case, when it comes to ogling the most beautiful girl in school (my personal opinion, but I bet a lot of girls with tastes like mine would agree with firm shakes of their heads and with rosy-red cheeks), Jiminy Cricket shuts right the hell up. She parts the crowd before her, like Moses parting the Red Sea, if Moses wore a skirt rolled up just enough to reveal a tempting peak of thigh (and a thong, something I think that only I, down here on the floor, can claim she's wearing). She smells like roses, with a gaze as sharp as thorns to match.

The bible can honestly suck it, because Hal, with her dark skin and long, braided black hair, un-tucked shirt, blazer tossed loosely over her shoulder and the best ass I've ever seen, is the very picture of an angel. In this school with religious iconography around every corner, she alone is holy.

_And did I mention her ass?_

"Alena, some people view dropping things on the floor to look up an innocent girl's skirt to be deplorable, you know?" A voice above me laughs. I gasp and tear my eyes away from Hal, who has long since passed me and my wandering eyes, to look up to see my friend, Thalia, looming over me with a shit-eating grin. "Such behavior would make little, baby Jesus cry... or something." She snorts in amusement and I blush, giving everything away with just the hue upon my cheeks.

Thalia is one of those girls who didn't come here by choice. I only ever heard she was sent here as apart of some court mandate, and I never had the balls to ask her to specify. She seems very much the type of girl who would attend St. Avacyn's breeding ground for nuns, uniform worn to the appropriate specifications and wavy, white-blond hair, but the smell of cigarettes on her breath always gives her away. She smirks at me as she offers me her hand and I take it with a grumble.

"If you must know, I really did drop my things." I say in my defense, but that's really all I can say. I'd never intentionally set things up so I could look up a girl's skirt... but in the end, nice ass is nice ass. They're always going on about standing in admiration of the beauty of god's creations every Sunday, so...

"The way you obviously lust after that girl almost gives me second-hand embarrassment, you know?" Thalia teases. "Can't you be reserved about your big, fat girl crush like the rest of us, hiding behind our bibles and stealing innocent glances?" She pauses and snorts again behind closed lips. Thalia isn't really much of the "stealing innocent glances" type. She's more of the "makes out with her girlfriend, Sigarda, almost every day inside the janitor's closet" type.

"Shut up." A snarl playfully, giving her a gentle elbow in the ribs.

"Seriously, though, unless you like the whole repression thing, I'd get on that if I were you." Thalia urges.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we're in our final year, and you've hardly so much as said a word to the girl. If you don't come clean and tell her that you have a crush on her the size of a mountain, you're going to miss your chance." Thalia sighs. "For all you know, once she graduates, she's going to take a vow of chastity and start working her way up to becoming a nun."

"Uugh... I know." I admit bitterly. "But how in the world do you even tell a girl like that you like her? She might just wind up laughing in my face."

"Yeah, I see what you mean." Thalia agrees, maybe a little too wholeheartedly. It takes me a good, long while to decide if I should be offended or not. "How in the world does she get away with rolling her skirt up that far anyway? Like, I don't think I even remember what my knees look like." She looks down at her skirt thoughtfully, taking the waistline and rolling it up until it's well above her knees, revealing her toned legs that are shaped to perfection from years of soccer and running from angry nuns.

"Miss Thalia, if you know what's good for you, you'll unroll that skirt." A nearby nun passing by scolds, almost as if she materialized the second someone dared to break a rule.

"Yes, Sister." Thalia says with a roll of her eyes, letting her skirt fall back down over her legs. It's my turn, now, to laugh.

"Just once, I want to get away with what that girl gets away with." She grumbles as the two of us look in the direction Hal has gone. She's a little further down the hall now, stopping to talk to Professor Ulrich, the new history teacher and the talk of the school- if, you know, you're in to older men.

Professor Ulrich is what you'd call ruggedly handsome, age doing nothing but make him more appealing. His long, white hair is pulled back into a tight, tidy ponytail, and the white facial hair around his face is trimmed and well-kept. He has a worldly air about him, like a man who has traveled to every corner of the world, bringing back tales and knowledge with him to this tiny little Catholic girl's school. For a man of his age, even with a suit on you can tell the guy keeps himself in shape, the bulge of his biceps clearly standing out under the thick, black sleeves of his jacket as he folds his arms. He's tall, well over six feet, which not a lot of people around here can boast. In short, if you have a daddy kink, Professior Ulrich is the full package.

"You know, scratch what I said about her graduating and becoming a nun, maybe she's on the hunt for a sugar daddy." Thalia chuckles.

"Oh my god, could you shut up, they're just talking." I groan. "Probably about homework or the weather or something not sexually charged at all."

"I think you need a lesson in body language." Thalia shoots back. "Look at her, the way she gets all close to him. From where he's standing, he can probably see right down her unbuttoned shirt. She's wearing perfume, she's rolling up her skirt- she's touching his arm..."

"Piss off, Thalia." I snarl, feeling my cheeks grow warm. I don't want to admit what it looks like- I don't even want to assume. I don't want to watch Hal laugh at something Professor Ulrich has said, like it's the funniest thing in the world. The thought of losing her to a man more than twice our age, before I even got a chance to try to win her heart, makes my stomach twist itself into knots. I'm just a plain girl, somebody you wouldn't be able to pick out of a crowd of girls wearing the same exact, drab uniform. I'm hardly a somebody, my only claim to fame being that I'm the girl who roomed with the other girl who got absolutely torn to shreds. And, last I checked, that's not something anybody finds attractive.

Last I checked, that's hardly a valid reason for an angel like her to even grace me with her presence.

* * *

Late into the night, I find myself not being able to sleep, as always. Nightmares keep me up at night, like I'm being haunted by the ghost of my dead roommate. A lot of my nights are occupied with doing homework and getting ahead on my reading. At this point, I don't have to worry about having to bang out an essay the night before it's due. Having your roommate get murdered without an explanation as to why and who can really turn you into an _excellent_ student.

The sound of someone knocking lightly on my door rouses me from my work, and at first I presume it's going to be one of the nuns who does the nightly rounds, come to tell me that light's out was hours ago and that I need to go to bed. But, it turns out, as I open the door, it's Thalia holding up a pack of cigarettes and giving me a nervous, pleading grin.

"It's so nice that you don't ever sleep." She greets me, already halfway through my door before I've even said a word.

"Oh you know, what are friends for? I do it all for you, and certainly not because of awful night-terrors." I say sarcastically. "Can't you ignore your awful nicotine craving at least for one night?"

"Not unless you want to see me getting the shakes tomorrow." Thalia laughs before nervously looking down the hallway. "Come on, please, just one smoke! I can't smoke in my own room- I have a roommate and my dorm room looks out at the street. If the headmaster hears someone saw me smoking out my window, he's going to bring the wrath of god down on my ass!"

"Well, how convenient for you that my roommate met an unfortunate end." I sigh and step completely out of her way, letting her in. "One cigarette, okay? _One_!"

"You're such a good enabler, and that's why I love you." Thalia grins as she leaps into my room. I quietly shut the door, knowing full well that if Thalia is caught in my room after curfew with a packet of cigarettes, I'm going to catch just as much shit. There's really no turning back now, all I can do is let her get her fix and send her on her way before both of us wind up in trouble.

Thalia throws open my window, letting a cool breeze in that turns the pages of my book set up at my desk, completely losing my place. At least, I'm able to gather my loose papers before they're blown off of the desk and onto the floor. Setting my things on my bed I join Thalia at the window as the pulls out a cigarette with her mouth and tucks her hair behind her ear- a small, little gesture that I can't help but feel is erotic in some way. Thalia's no Hal, but she certainly isn't unattractive by any means, to the point where she can make nursing a smoking habit look sexy. Maybe this is why I always wind up letting her into my room for her late-night smoke: I'm just a big, lesbian disaster.

"Sorry, by the way, about teasing you today about Hal." Thalia mentions as she flicks her lighter a few times, creating sparks and not much else. "You're fun to tease, but you seemed legitimately pissed off today."

"I'm just on edge and low on sleep, it's fine." I brush her apology off. "If I wind up losing Hal to a guy who was full grown by the time I was fucking born, I have nobody to blame but myself."

"If it's any consolation, you'll probably get a lot of action in college. Girls will fall head over ass for a cute, baby lesbian." Thalia jokes, finally lighting her cigarette and pausing to take a drag that I swear eats up half the length of the thing, turning it into a stick of smoldering ash. "Once we're out of here and not cooped up in a stuffy all-girls school associated with a nunnery, you'll see that pretty Hal and her fantastic ass aren't all that pretty or fantastic."

"Heh, thanks..." I give her a halfhearted laugh, but I know deep down that what she's saying isn't true. You always remember your first love, and I know for a damn fact that I'm not going to forget about Hal. I'm not going to forget her flawless, ebony skin and her body built like a dancer's. I'm not going to forget the smell of her perfume. I'm not going to forget the way my heart aches whenever I see her talking to someone else. I might find someone else, but I know for a fact I'll never, truly move on.

"Oh my god- Alena, _oh_ my _god!_ " Thalia suddenly gasps, smacking me multiple times on the shoulder enough to where I fear she's left a bruise. I pull away, nursing my aching shoulder and giving her a few good slaps of my own.

"Thalia, fuck, _stop_!" I snap before she reaches out and grasps my chin, forcing my gaze down at the grounds below my window- and what I see makes me go absolutely silent. There, hood over her head and looking about as she carefully sneaks across the lawn is Hal. I can tell it's her by the braid poking out from her hood.

With a gasp, both Thalia and I duck down, peering over the windowsill as we hold our breath. She doesn't seem to have heard us, or notice the one light on in the whole dorm, giving her quiet escape a gentle spotlight. She continues her careful creep across the lawn while Thalia and I keep quiet watch.

"How'd she get passed security?" Thalia whispers, but all I can so is shush her, not taking my eyes off of Hal until she rounds the corner and ducks out of sight.

"Where do you think she's going!?" Thalia asks as the two of us slowly rise back up. "I mean, I certainly don't think she's making a midnight trip to the chapel for a quick prayer- she's up to some shit!"

"I-I don't know..." I mutter, leaning out my window like I'll be able to see her still. "She looked really nervous..."

"We need to go after her!"

I practically take myself out as I pull myself in, nearly bashing my bead against the frame of the window.

"Thalia, no! If we get caught, we could wind up in major trouble! I'm not talking about getting some smacks across the wrist, I'm talking suspension- _expulsion_!" I gasp. "We can't- there's no way!"

"What about Hal, then? What if something happens to her while she's off sneaking around, huh?" Thalia asks, narrowing her eyes. "What if she winds up like your dead roommate, guts all over the place like a party-popper!"

"Shut up, shut up, _shut up_!" I cry, throwing my hands over my ears and shaking my head. I wish desperately she'd just stopped at "dead roommate".

"We have to do something, Alena! Whether you like it or not, we're the only people right now who know she's sneaking out! And, we might be the only two people who can make sure she gets back here safe." Thalia continues, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me. "Don't you want to make sure the girl you love makes it back to the dorms alive! There's a fucking psychopath out there, ripping girls open like they're presents and-"

"If you make another analogy about guts, I swear to god, Thalia, I _will_ puke all over you!" I snarl, my voice lacking a bit of bite as I feel myself grow light headed.

"Okay, fine, but you know I'm right!" Thalia groans. "We need to tail her to make sure she's alright! Plus, I hear saving a girl's life from a crazed murderer is a _huge_ turn-on!"

"Thalia, please-"

"She'll melt in your hands like butter, Alena!" She continues. "Please, just stop being a goody-two-shoes for once and take a bit of risk! The reason you've hardly so much as said three words to that girl is because you're always cooped up like this, afraid of what might happen. If you don't try, you'll never know, and while you're up here afraid of getting a scolding, she might wind up getting murdered- then you'll _really_ miss your chance!"

"..." I stare out into the open window, out into the dark that's swallowed Hal up. It's suddenly hard to breath and even harder to think as my eyes wander to the almost sterile half of my dorm room. That could be her: the next girl completely wiped from existence, to be nothing but whispers, and bits and pieces of an unsolved horror story. It could be her... "Fine, fine, alright! But if we're caught, I'm saying you threatened me and you _know_ I can cry on command!"

"Hell yeah, that's my girl!" Thalia smiles from ear to ear. "Come on, then, grab a jacket and let's get a move on before she puts too much distance between us!"

I throw on the darkest jacket I have and arm myself as best as I can, grabbing the bat I have stashed away in my closet from that one time I tried playing on the school softball team and wound up quitting after getting knocked out by a rogue foul ball. Thalia has nothing but her cigarettes and her lighter, but she seems perfectly content with that, putting way too much faith in my swing I haven't given much practice for well over a year. She seems way too excited, giddy enough about the potential of having to stop a kidnapping or a murder for the both of us and then some.

"Let's go, let's go!" She whispers as I crack open my door. No familiar nun-shaped silhouettes are coming from either side of the hall, so it's at least safe to slink out of my room and outside into the hall- for now, at least.

"It's surprisingly quiet." I mention under my breath as the two of us tip-toe towards the stairs.

"Yeah, now that I think about it, I didn't even have to sneak around a single person on my way here. Usually I have to duck around at least one corner to keep from being spotted." Thalia comments. "I clearly remember they were really getting serious about security..."

Much to our surprise, we're able to make our way down the stairs and all the way to the lobby of the dorms without a single obstacle. The last thing that remains is the security office, where the nuns who are assigned to keep watch for the night trade shifts and monitor the front door. The lights inside are on, bathing the lobby in a bright, orange glow, but as we peer around the corner, we don't see even a bit of movement. I'm way too afraid to even step a single toe around the corner and into view, but Thalia, on the other hand, has other ideas.

"The hell...?" She whispers as she creeps around the corner, no amount of me sharply whispering her name forcing her to return to our hiding place. I desperately grip my bat and am forced to watch as she slowly makes her way over to the room, and peers through the window without even the slightest bit of subterfuge.

"Thalia, what the hell!" I hiss, but much to my shock, not a single person inside perks up at the sight of Thalia standing right there in plain view. "What are you doing!"

"You're not going to believe this- they're out cold!" She calls quietly across the lobby to me, waving me over to come and see. I can't imagine this is some sort of trick, despite the fact I don't quite trust her words, but I carefully make my way over to her anyway, holding my breath the entire way until I reach her side. Sure enough, all four nuns, who are supposed to be diligently watching over the dorms, are fast asleep in their chairs, snoring. "No wonder we didn't see anyone."

"But-"

"No time to look a gift horse in the mouth, Alena! Let's bust out of here before they wake up!" Thalia interrupts, grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me toward the front doors. They lock from the inside, but it seems like someone's already left them carelessly unlocked, probably in anticipation for their- or rather _her_ return. I take one last glance back the way we have come, unable to keep from feeling like all of this is way too fishy to ignore. Lucky for me, Thalia doesn't see anything wrong with our astronomical amount of luck and leads me through the doors and out of the building.

"Sweet freedom!" She jokes, holding her hands up in the air.

"Keep your voice down, jeeze! We're not out of the woods just yet! We still have to sneak off campus." I warn her. But, as we continue our quiet escape, going the way we had seen Hal sneak off to, we continue to meet a complete and utter lack of resistance. No grounds keepers, no random watch- nothing! Our journey to a gate in the fence around the campus, left thoughtlessly ajar, is completely free and clear. But, even though we've made it out, my heart still pounds against my chest like a jackhammer, hard enough to where each thud leaves a physical ache inside me.

"Which way did she go?" Thalia asks as we scan the empty streets, lit only by streetlamps. By a complete stroke of luck, I see a figure walk around the corner out of sight, their shadow vanishing a split-second after. I tap Thalia on the shoulder, my lips tightly pressed together as I point furiously in that direction. With a nod, the two of us creep after our target, careful to not even let our feet scrape against the sidewalk- careful to not even _breath_ heavily. We stop our pursuit at the corner and peer around, careful not to let more than our eyes poke out from around it.

There she is, at the street corner, texting on her phone and looking around. As soon as we confirm it's her, we dive back around the corner, making all kinds of gestures at one another I'm sure the other hardly understands. We point and shake our heads and flail about, and I'm certain that if anybody could see us right now, we probably look absolutely ridiculous- also, we'd be in deep shit. Our frantic game of charades comes to a quick end as we hear her speak up, apparently answering her phone.

"Yeah, I got out. Where did you want to meet?" I hear her ask. There's a brief pause, probably the other person talking, before she speaks up again, her words mixed with a chuckle that sounds surprisingly... _flirtatious_. "Okay, hold your horses. I'll be over there soon. We've both been waiting long enough for this, I don't want to waste any more time."

"Who the...?" I mouth as I look around the corner, just in time to see her hang up and quickly dash across the street.

"Who do you think that was?" Thalia asks, but I don't have the heart to answer. I don't want to imagine who she's meeting this late at night in secret- who can summon up that intoxicating laughter of hers. I don't want to know, and yet, as Hal ducks around another corner, we follow after her in hot pursuit.

* * *

After what seems like an eternity of winding around streets and hiding around corners, our chase eventually leads us to a large abandoned building completely fenced off and surrounded by "keep out" signs and ones that list off warnings and the types of legal trouble we can and will be in if we trespass. Despite all of these, however, Hal sees no problem with sneaking through a hole in the fence, casting one last cautious look out into the street before she creeps inside. Now she's out after curfew _and_ trespassing- crimes that me and Thalia are likely seconds away from mirroring, despite how much I really don't want to add breaking the law to breaking school rules.

"This place used to be an old rubber factory, I think." Thalia mentions, like what this place used to be matters at all. "What the hell is Hal doing here?"

"What kind of weirdo has a teenage girl meet them late at night at an abandoned factory?" I ask as we approach the fence. The warning sign lists off the potential punishments for trespassing inside the abandoned factory grounds, including a huge fee that's probably more money then I'll ever see in my lifetime and jail time. The anxiety building up inside of me is starting to make it hard to breath.

"The type of person who likes snapping girls in two, like twigs, and spilling their guts out like spaghetti." Thalia's comment only ads to the anxiety I feel. There's a strong chance that I'm going to vomit- if not now, then definitely some time in the future, I can feel it. "Best to get in there before they get the chance."

"Thalia, wait!" I hiss, but by the time I finish, she's already slipped inside, and I'm standing out on the sidewalk alone, clutching my bat and looking every bit suspicious.

"Quick, idiot, before someone sees!" She whispers sternly, shifting about impatiently until I give in with a nervous groan and join her on the other side of the fence. I've never really broken a law before, but after tonight I'm pretty sure I'm not going to make much of a habit of it. But, this isn't for foolish, impulsive thrill seeking, this is to keep watch over the girl who I've been crushing on for years, so... I can at least give myself a pass this time, even though the cops probably won't- if we're caught, anyway.

"This place is huge, must have been a real booming place before it shut down." Thalia remarks as we approach, entering through the same doors as Hal had. She's nowhere in sight, but the space is so quiet we can hear her footsteps- and in this enclosed space I swear I can smell her perfume. That, or an old rubber factory has the tendency to smell like a rose garden. With only our phones to light the way, we tip-toe down the dilapidated hall, stepping over debris and ducking under loose pipes sinking down from the ceiling.

The hallways of the factory are long and twisting, and we're forced to make strange detours around holes in the floor and passed spaces that are completely inaccessible due to the amount of rubble in the way. We follow the sound of footsteps deeper and deeper into the structure until we're led into a massive, open room- probably where they kept a lot of the heavy machinery. The ceiling is partially collapsed, letting in the moonlight that lightens up the space enough to see everything inside. Creeping onto the metal walkway, Thalia and I keep close to the ground, peering over the railing as we hear voices from down below.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting- you don't really strike me as being a patient man." I hear Hal speak as she walks into view.

"Oh, for you I can be very patient." I male voice answers back as a figure steps out from the shadows. I feel my heart sink, and at the same time that vomit I was sure was going to come up doesn't seem like it's about to give up the ghost just yet. It's Professor Ulrich, wearing his same, well-pressed suit, like they're casually meeting up at school and not at an abandoned factory. "I've waited this long for you to give in to my advances, haven't I?"

"Strange, I could have sworn you practically begged me to come here." Hal laughs as the two of them draw closer- close enough to touch, close enough to hold. Close enough to make me _nauseous._

"Heh, can you blame me- a girl as beautiful as you?" Ulrich laughs, not at all put off by her comment as he reaches out and runs his hand along her cheek. "You smell divine."

"It's my favorite brand of perfume. Men like you seem to like it just fine." Hal giggles- _fucking giggles_ \- as she allows him to touch her with his creepy, full-grown man hands. I bite my lip, almost hard enough to draw blood, gripping the railing of the walkway in one hand, and my bat in the other.

"I want you, Hal. I've kept my distance at school, but I can't wait any longer- you've kept me waiting long enough." Ulrich says, his voice deep and lustful, as his fingers comb through the hair hanging around her face.

"I've waited long enough as well- too long." Hal agrees. "So why don't we get this over with?"

"No..." I can't help but squeak out. My small cry carries an impressive distance in the hush of the abandoned factory. Thalia hears it as she grabs me tight by the shoulder and pulls me away from the edge of the walkway. Hal hears it as she turns around in surprise. And, most of all, Ulrich hears it as he glares up at the walkway, right at us, a look of nothing less than murder showing very prominently on his face.

"What the hell are you doing here!" Hal shouts up at us, looking and sounding surprisingly frantic. She doesn't seem like a girl who just got her midnight tryst interrupted- she seems fearful, both for her sake and for us. I can't imagine why, at this point, but the look in her eyes makes me feel as if me and Thalia are in very real danger by being here.

What follows almost seems to happen in slow motion before my eyes, with things getting weirder and weirder by the second. I don't expect Ulrich to push passed Hal, shoving her out of his way, and I don't expect her to fly an impressive distance, as if she were blown back by an explosion instead of pushed aside by Ulrich's arm. I don't expect him to start growing in size- something that I first assume is just a trick of the light- but _nope_ , he is _definitely_ growing taller, getting wider and bulkier. It's at this point that Thalia and I start to stumble backward, and I feel her yank me by the collar of my jacket as she makes her retreat. And, as Ulrich's hulking form is obscured from my view, I hear a sound that's a cross between a horribly angry shout and a blood-curdling roar.

"What the fuck! _What_ the _fuck_!" Thalia screams as the two of us stumble back into the hallway, tripping over our own two feet in fear. "What the fuck _is that!?_ "

"Shut up and run!" I shout, pushing her forward as I throw a look over my shoulder- curiosity somehow overcoming the fear gripping tight at every nerve. Dread hits me hard enough to hurt as a massive, clawed hand covered in white, shaggy fur grips the railing of the walkway, hard enough to crumple it, as if it were made out of paper. I can't hear myself over the horrible, terrifying animal-like noise echoing all around us, as well as the thudding of my own frantic heartbeat, but I'm pretty sure I'm screaming.

Thalia and I sprint through the dark hallways of the factory, blindly tripping over debris and running into walls. We don't have time to light our way, or to stop and remember the way we came. We can only run and try to get as far away from that thing that I can hear behind us. It's clawing at the walls and smashing through things blocking its way that we weave and duck around. I can hear its ragged breath and its furious snarl. I'm so afraid that tears spring from my eyes, mingling with sweat pouring down my face as we run and run and run, finding only more filthy hallways and desolate rooms.

I dare to look behind us again, to see if the thing is gaining on us our not. All I see are vague shapes in the darkness... and furiously glowing eyes.

With a gasp, I feel something trip me up. I try to use the bat in my hands as a crutch, but it slips from my sweat-covered hands and tumbles to the floor. Only able to cry out, I fall forward, clumsily trying to catch myself as I stumble and skid. I hear Thalia call my name, but it's overwhelmed by the noises of the creature bearing down on me. I move to drag myself up and continue running, but something pulls me back- and then I feel _pain_.

I remember once, when I was a kid, when I was helping a family friend dismantle a shed in their backyard, and how a nail pierced clean through my shoe and stabbed right into my foot. I still have the scar and can remember how horrible it stung. This... this is _so_ much worse than that. I feel the hot breath of the monster against my leg as it sinks it's teeth into my shoe and right into my foot. I scream and I scream, trying to find something to grab on to as it drags me into the darkness, biting down harder each time I try to escape. I'm so, so sure that it's eventually just going to chew my foot off, and I can feel the sticky warmth of blood fill my shoe. My hands only find lose material lying on the ground and dirty, broken tile as I'm dragged away.

"Let go of her, you motherfucker!" I hear Thalia snarl through her fear, and I can barely see her brandishing the bat I had dropped along the way. She swings it down with incredible force, bellowing as she does so, and I can feel the impact through the creature's teeth. It makes a surprised noise, a sharp whine echoing in the darkness, as it stops pulling me back the way we had come. I hear Thalia shout again as the bat collides with the face of the creature, and I can't tell, in this darkness, if she's yelling through fury or through tears. She beats it again and again until it finally loosens it's jaws enough and I pull myself free.

"Are you okay!?" She asks me, and to be quite honest, the pain is so bad I can hardly speak or breathe. I take a step and my foot feels like it's on fire. My foot slips a little from the slickness of blood leaking from my shoe. But, even through the pain, my absolute terror rings true, and it pushes me on even though the pain is blinding. It's okay, I can hardly see anything in the dark anyway.

"I'm fine, just run!" I lie as we continue our charge into the dark. We round corner after corner, the halls seeming to get narrower and narrower. I fear we're going in circles. I fear we're not going to make it. I fear we're going to die here and be immortalized on horror-themed message boards as disemboweled corpses, our killer never found. I fear I'll never be able to tell Hal how I feel.

"Over there!" Thalia screams, pulling me by the arm down another narrow hallway. A sliver of light can be seen, cutting through the darkness. An exit! _We're free!_ We barrel forward, and in that moment it feels like a nightmare, where you run as fast as you can and get nowhere- all while a terrifying monster is at your very heels. I hold out my arms, desperately reaching for our one chance of escape, hands grasping at empty air. For a second, I'm focused so hard on escape, the pain in my foot seems to vanish.

We push through the exit, the heavy door no match for our fear-powered adrenaline. We fly out into freedom before tripping and falling down the short flight of stairs just outside. It's a fall that would have hurt if we cared to stop and examine our bruises and lick our wounds, but instead we scramble back up, gasping for breath as we continue our desperate run forward- only for something to leap in our way, blocking our view of the fence and blotting the light of the moon, drenching us both in darkness. I would scream, but I'm so afraid that nothing comes out but a rush of air.

A massive wolf-man, who is probably as wide as he is tall, looms over us, baring his massive, sharp teeth in our direction. He swipes a clawed hand easily the size of my body in our direction, forcing us backward, back toward the factory we just escaped from. Thalia grabs my arm as we meagerly stumble backward, and I do the same, only having enough energy in the both of us left to cower. A sound passed through the monster's lips that's a mix between a laugh and a growl as his shoulders shake rhythmically.

"You two brats ruined a perfectly good meal. I was promised a feast, but now I'm forced to indulge myself in you two little scraps!" He snarls. "I can only hope there's still room in my stomach for that Hal girl once I'm done devouring the both of you!"

He opens his mouth wide, and I'm pretty sure with a mouth that big he could swallow us whole, bones and all. I never imagined how I would handle being faced with my own death, but as I look deep into the dark depths, passed the monstrous teeth and jaws of Ulrich in his true, terrifying, beastly form, it seems I plan to take a very undignified leave as I piss myself in terror.

However, before he can sink his teeth into either of us, a loud, deafening bang rings through the air, and Ulrich stops cold in his tracks, a pained gurgle escaping him. His eyes grow wide in surprise as he stumbles back, hands feeling along his fur-covered chest to discover a dark, bloody hole that quickly soaks his pure-white fur and dyes it crimson. He looks back up, his mouth agape in surprise before his eyes roll back. He stumbles backward a few more times before his legs give out from beneath him, his fall creating a small tremor that shakes the ground below us.

"Sorry, these girls aren't on the menu tonight, you bastard. You're going to have to settle with silver." A triumphant voice speaks up from behind us. Both me and Thalia gasp as we turn around, looking up while still clutching one another for dear life, coming face to sweat-and-tear-streaked face with Hal, holding a still smoking pistol in her hands.

"H-Hal!" I speak up, my voice quivering like crazy as I try to find words to say. What exactly do you say to the girl who just saved your life from a rampaging wolf-monster who used to be your history professor? You'd think there would be an absolute wealth of things to say, but instead my mouth hangs agape and I come up with nothing.

"That was a really stupid thing you two got yourselves into." She scolds, pocketing her weapon as she hops down the steps. "I could have handled this asshole myself, but thanks to you, you put all of us in danger."

"Hey, wh-what the hell even was that!? What in the actual fuck is going on here!?" Thalia shouts as Hal circles around us to inspect the body of the monster. She gives his arm a swift, hearty kick, gaining no response from the corpse but certainly from us as we jump where we're sitting, expecting him to leap back up and attack. "That... that was Professor Ulrich... wasn't he?"

"That... was the cause of all the disappearances that had been happening at our school. Ulrich set his sights on our school and saw an all-you-can-eat buffet, and infiltrated its walls as the new history professor. He seduced all those girls, called them out here, and devoured them. I would have acted sooner, but I needed to make sure I was luring out the right person."

"He... he's the one who...?" I begin to question before my head starts to swim so much I can hardly keep my focus. My body feels like it's on fire, and it's a flame that feels like it's in my lungs, spreading out towards everything else, consuming all. I double over in agony, clutching my sides. Everything is hot... everything _hurts_. Every movement feels like it sets my skin and muscles ablaze, and a throbbing pain soon comes after.

"She's hurt!" I hear Thalia gasp before I barely make out Hal forcing her way into my line of vision that's slowly growing darker and darker. I can barely feel her hands on my body, through the scorching agony, and I wish I could indulge in what is one of my many fantasies: just to feel her touch.

"Alena- Alena stay with me!" She shouts, and through the haze of pain I'm shocked she knows my name at all. "I need you to focus! I need you to tell me if he bit you!"

"He..." I rasp, the act of speaking almost too much to bear. "...Foot."

"Fuck!" She curses as she reaches down and takes off my shoe and my blood-soaked sock. I can see my foot clearly now, several deep, red gashes marring my flesh. "...It doesn't look like it's spread too much. You're not in that much danger of turning yet."

She's certainly speaking words, that's for sure, but I can hardly process enough thought to understand. It hurts to think at this point, so all I can do is lie there and watch her as she riffles through her pockets and pulls out... _is that a fucking EpiPen?_

"I've been saving this for myself for a while, in case of an emergency. This shit's real hard to get a hold of- you'd better be grateful!" She says before forcing my pants down and jabbing the thing against my thigh. I feel the tiny pinprick through the pain, and almost instantly I start to feel relief. It starts at my legs and works it's way up my body, slowly bringing cool, comforting relief where I once felt nothing but pain. I can breath again and think again, and once my vision clears I can see Hal, hunched over me and looking down at me with a look that's half concern and half annoyance. She's so close... and honestly, this angle is a lot better than looking up her skirt, I have decided.

"I love you." The words rush out of me in one, single burst, flying free from me the second I am able to draw a regular breath. And, I'm regretting it just as fast, with my pants pulled down, probably looking like a hot mess, and my pants and underwear soaked with literal, goddamn pee. I could have chose a more dignified moment, maybe after a shower and a change of clothes or maybe possibly _never,_ actually. I don't think I'm ever going to fully regain my dignity ever, after this moment.

"Um..." Hal utters before a wheeze resonates right beside us. Thalia is beside me, her own fear giving way to quaking, wild laughter that grows with each passing second. She can't even come up with words to say, she just holds up her hand, like she's telling us to wait for her to regain composure, as she laughs and laughs and laughs.

This is how I admit my feelings to the girl I love: pants pulled down, after a near-death experience, to the sound of my best friend's manic laughter, covered in my own urine. Honestly, I think I deserve to be laughed at.

"Uh... you're welcome?" Hal finally says as Thalia continues to hoot and holler.

Honestly, I think I would rather have been eaten.

* * *

We had to tell the folks at the ER that it was a dog attack. When they took a look at my foot in an almost baffled way, we told them it was a _really_ big dog- which wasn't exactly a lie, exactly, Ulrich was pretty huge and dog-like. We kept up the lie the whole time, impressively, and Thalia was asleep for most of the time she could have accidentally blabbed, passed out in the waiting room looking like she needed to be admitted to the ER as well. On top of getting bandaged up, and some antibiotics, the nurses on duty were also kind enough to lend me some pants- probably the one, good thing to happen to me tonight.

My parents are going to get the bill, and I'm going to have to keep up the lie that I was attacked by a dog. It's okay, though, I'd rather have to lie to them about a dog attack then for them to get a call from the police to tell them they found me disemboweled in an abandoned factory.

It's the truth that bothers me- the truth about Ulrich, the truth about Hal, and the truth I let slip- and did I mention I did so drenched in my own pee? I'm still reeling from it all when we return to the dorms, the sky starting to become died a soft shade of pink as the sun starts to rise. The world is slowly waking, and all I want to do is sleep for several days.

"We should be fine- everyone inside should still be asleep." Hal assures us as we make it to the front doors. "The two of you should head inside and get some rest, too."

"Hey, hold on, what the hell are we supposed to do now!?" Thalia cuts her off. "What do you expect us to do, now that we know about all this? If you want my silence, it's gonna come at a price- I'm thinking triple digits!"

"Thalia, please, don't shake her down, she saved your life." I sigh, feeling incredibly exhausted having to tell her that. Thalia's moral compass continues to amaze me.

"You're not going to tell anyone any of this because you're not going to remember." Hal says, hands on her hips.

"You really expect me to-"

"I drugged your drinks back at the hospital. I drugged everyone at school, in fact. No one is going to remember Ulrich, and you two, especially, aren't going to remember what happened tonight." Hal explains. "Even if you don't fall asleep, all of this is going to vanish by lunch. I bet you can already feel your memories getting fuzzy."

I think really hard to myself, but I can't tell if I'm really forgetting what happened tonight or if I'm just really, really tired.

"You sneaky little-!"

"Thalia, stop! Don't get into fights with the girl who saved your life." I sigh as I start to push her towards the entrance. She groans in defiance, but doesn't put up much resistance as the two of us start to head inside. "Maybe it's best we forget this whole mess..." I pause, feeling a bitterness build inside me, much to my surprise.

"Am I going to forget... everything?" I ask, feeling my heart start to ache.

"Everything." Hal responds with a nod.

"Even... what I said?" I ask her. "... I mean, I would have loved to have chosen a better way but... that _is_ how I feel. I... I don't think I'll ever be able to summon up the courage to do that again, even when my pants _aren't_ soaked in pee."

"I'm sorry..." Hal says simply, only summoning up minimal words in response. She turns her gaze down to the ground and frowns. "I can't have you remember any of this... I can't risk it."

I look down at the ground and feel like I'm about to cry, all sorts of words catching in my throat and building up, creating a warm lump on my throat that refuses to be swallowed down.

"I'll give you two some privacy..." Thalia grumbles, pushing her way through the front doors. She sounds defeated and tired, and I wouldn't be surprised if, when I follow her back inside, she'd already have gone back to her dorm room. I honestly feel the same: that, even though we survived, I still somehow lost in the end. I stare down at my bandaged foot, and I can feel my eyes beginning to sting.

"Then... let me say it again." I finally speak up, my words wavering like crazy. "Because I love you... I've loved you for so long, and I don't think I'm ever going to get the chance to tell you... Normal me is a coward, she only ever stares at you from afar- only ever steals glances. Only after facing down the fear of literal death was I finally able to tell you... I love you."

Hal remains unresponsive, looking down at her feet as well.

"...Honestly, I don't care if I forget, so long as you remember. The situation wasn't ideal, but these are my real feelings... I don't want you forgetting them, too."

"I won't... forget." She finally speaks up. But that's all she says, giving me nothing more and nothing less than her word. I, at least, want a hug, but I know I shouldn't expect one.

"...Thanks." I can only manage that much as I turn around and push my way through the front doors. Just like Hal had said, the nuns keeping watch are still sound asleep in the surveillance office. The whole dorm is still fast asleep, losing their memories as they dream. I wonder when I'll start to forget... I know, at least, I don't want to be awake to witness as the memories slip through my fingers like sand. I don't want to bear witness to the one time I ever had the courage enough to admit my feelings slip away, leaving me with a heartache I will never be able to explain.

I trudge up the stairs, back to my lonely dorm room, repeating the one, treasured memory again and again in my head. I want to keep it fresh for as long as I can. I want to hold on for as long as whatever Hal slipped me will allow. I don't care about the memories of sneaking out, or nearly getting eaten. All I care about are those words I finally was able to say. I play the memory over and over as I return to my room, strip off all my clothes and flop down into bed, my body feeling like it's being weighed down by cement bricks.

"I love you..." I say to the silence, as tears finally flow from my eyes. At the very least, I'll forget all about this sadness and this pain eating away at my heart. "I love you... so much."

* * *

"I can't believe you two got attacked by a dog- why someone would let their mutt roam free to attack people is beyond me!" Sigarda gasps as the three of us talk in the hall. She's holding up my foot, looking at my bandage, and I'm struggling to keep from falling.

"I guess that's what we get, sneaking out last night so I could buy cigarettes." Thalia sighs, rubbing the back of her neck.

"You better have said sorry!" Sigarda scolded. "Honestly, it should have been _you_ getting your foot bitten by a stray dog, sneaking out to go buy smokes. Alena shouldn't have been punished for your sins, you know."

"Well maybe you can punish me... after class?" Thalia asks, cheekily cocking an eyebrow, and Sigarda scoffs in response as her cheeks grow a rosy red.

"God, you're horrible."

"Yeah, and you love it."

While the two of them shamelessly flirt in front of me, my mind wanders. I stare down at my foot that Sigarda is still gently handling, losing myself in thought.

_I still remember._

I'm not supposed to, or so I thought, but I still remember all of it. I remember sneaking out, but we had done so to tail Hal, and I remember getting attacked, but by Ulrich who turned out to be a terrifying werewolf, not by some random dog on the street. I still remember every bit of it, and it feels so awkward to play along as Thalia tells a very detailed, very fabricated story about a dog attack that, at least to her, might as well have really happened. I feel... detached, like I'm not really here, getting my foot cradled while Thalia and Sigarda make googly eyes at each other.

_I still remember. I still..._

" _Shoot_ , I just remembered, I forgot some homework back in my dorm room! If I forget it again, Sister Arlinn is going to bite my head off!" I exclaim, pulling away my foot and slipping it back inside my shoe.

"You'd better hurry up, passing period's almost over!" Sigarda tells me.

"I'd say the same thing to the two of you, if you want to make something of all that flirting!" I tease her as I speed off as quick as my aching foot will allow. I'm not going back for any homework, I'm pretty sure they even noticed I'm not even heading in the direction of the dorms. No, I'm looking for something else, something I didn't forget, actually- some _one_ I didn't forget. I push passed crowds of people, looking high and low for that familiar, long braid of hair and that familiar scent of roses. I want to know why I didn't forget. I want to know why I still remember everything!

"Hal!" I shout the second I spot her, catching a glimpse as I see her walking down the stairs. She looks up in surprise, looking up at me with an open mouth and wide eyes. Her name is all I can say aloud without giving anything away. All I can really do is give her a knowing look as a familiar, warm lump grows in my throat. I will not cry in front of all these people. I've already experienced enough humiliation these passed 24 hours, I will _not_ cry!

"Come with me." Hal speaks up as she rushes up the stairs and takes my hand. She drags me through the halls and I willingly allow myself to be pulled, even after we exit the building and head off toward the garden that surrounds the chapel next to school. The roses planted there smell just like her perfume, and it's like I'm being completely surrounded by her scent. She pulls and pulls and pulls me until we reach the fountain- a popular spot for students to gather after school, but right now, in the middle of the school day, it's deserted.

"Why do I still remember!?" I wind up asking, yanking my hand away and forcing her to stop. "You said I was going to forget... so why...?"

"... This world is full of a lot more magic than you realize. Below the surface, just outside your line of vision, there's a whole other world that everyone around you would rather consider to be myth. And for everything that's beautiful and breathtaking... there are dangerous things that lurk there in the darkness, where you can't see. Creatures like Ulrich walk among you, posing an ever-present danger." Hal speaks, her words fluid and even, as if she's rehearsed this all beforehand. "And that's where people like me come in: hunters, who deal with these otherworldly beings. My job is dangerous... and I prefer to work alone."

"But then why did you-"

"No one has ever told me they loved me before. Never... not once." Hal admits. "I... In my weakness, I was afraid to lose that. I was afraid... to lose _you_."

" _M-me?_ " I stammer, pointing at myself in utter shock.

"The world where I live is a dangerous one... I don't want to put you in any danger you wouldn't subject yourself to, so I've brought you here to give you a choice." She says, holding out her hand. "Are you willing to live in my world, full of magic and myth, legend and horror? Are you willing to put that love of yours to the test?"

I look down at her hand, thinking long and hard. I remember the terror I felt, running from Ulrich, and the pain I felt when I feared I was slowly being poisoned. I remember the ache in my heart, so overwhelming that I feared I'd never be able to leave my bed, as I considered I would never be able to remember that I told Hal I loved her.

I take my chances. I reach into the unknown, and I take that hand.

"I think you already know my answer- I told you several times already." I say with a smile. "I love you, Hal."


	2. Chapter 2

The knocking at my door is much too loud for this late at night. Lights-out was ages ago, and anyone making this much noise would definitely alert the nuns on duty- and it certainly catches me off guard as I pull myself away from my schoolwork with a yelp. Hand clutched over my frantically beating heart, I look over my shoulder at my door, considering if the loud banging had just been in my head as I drifted off looking over my essay for the third time. But, just as before, the knocking comes again, and I'm forced out of my chair to see who it is- and to shut them up before they get themselves- and me- into trouble.

No nun would come banging on my door this late unless there was a fire or something, and Thalia has more than enough awareness at this point to be sneaky. I go through the list of possible suspects in my head, which is limited to those two things. Whoever is at my door is someone new, and somebody who isn't up to speed about "sneaking around the dormitories after curfew" etiquette.

"Hey, keep it down, do you want to get caught!?" I hiss as I abruptly open my door, but only a crack, to keep light from my dorm room from spilling out into the darkened hallway and causing even more of a scene.

"No way that's going to happen- but I appreciate the warning." A familiar voice chuckles, forcing me to practically throw open my door, despite how careful I had tried to be in the first place. It's Hal, and I'm left practically breathless in her presence. I'm dressed down to my pajamas that I'd only ever let Thalia see me in, which is just an extra large, ratty T-shirt that drifts down to my thighs, my hair still damp from showering and my school-approved amount of makeup completely washed away. I'm wearing my ratty old underwear, mostly because I wasn't expecting anybody tonight, much less Hal.

Hal, the very image of perfection, an angel given flesh: my girlfriend. And I look like a goon and a tragic victim of a horrible pantsing accident.

" _Hal!_ " I gasp in an unflattering way, not sure if I should welcome her in, or pull my door closed just enough to hide behind it. "What are you doing here- it's so late!"

I try not to make my question sound too much like I'm expecting something, but at the same time I'd be perfectly up for a late night booty-call, so long as she gives me enough time to change and also burn this particular pair of underwear. I feel like this is the very convenient and poorly set-up opening of every porn video ever. I feel like I'm going to explode, if I'm being honest.

"To take you on your very first hunt, of course." Hal says as-a-matter-of-factly, with a smile that leaves my brain lagging a half second behind her words.

"To what?" I don't think any of what just came out of her mouth could be just me mishearing her saying she came here to make out.

"You said you were open to living with me in my world, didn't you?" She asks. "Consider tonight your initiation."

"I'm pretty sure almost getting eaten alive by a werewolf was a good enough 'initiation'." I say, keeping my disappointment to myself as I step out of the way and let her into my dorm room. "I wasn't expecting the whole fantasy creature hunting stuff to start right away."

"This is a significant part of my life, Alena, I live with on foot in this world and the other solidly in the world that hides itself in the shadows at all times. Horrors that could reduce this city to chaos don't wait around for when it's convenient, I have to be ready to face them whenever I am needed- and so do you." Alena practically lectures as she steps inside. "Or are you getting cold feet about all this... about me?"

"No, no, no cold feet here!" I exclaim abruptly "I'm just a little caught off guard and, well..." I stop myself before I say something shameful and embarrassing about how I expected her to be here for more romantic prospects. This is who Hal is, the life she leads, and this is what I agreed to endure for the sake of my love. I'm suddenly aware of how selfish I'm being.

"Oh, I see, you were expecting a kiss?" Hal's voice takes on an air of mischief and my cheeks grow warm from embarrassment. Not that I was hiding my desires all that well, I just wasn't expecting her to read me so blatantly. If it wasn't for the smile still on her lips, I'd feel practically called out.

"I- well- maybe not exactly-" I fumble over every beginning of every excuse in the book before she approaches me. Her being near sucks the air right out of my lungs, leaving me silent with my mouth hanging open. I manage to suck in a single, surprised breath as she reaches out and gently caresses my jawline with her fingers, before leaning in and pressing a warm, soft kiss against my lips. She lingers there only a moment, and honestly any longer and I would have suffocated. Breathing is now something that takes an incredible amount of brainpower. Breath in. Breath out. Don't black out over a single kiss, you hopeless lesbian!

"Wh-!" I wheeze as I touch my fingers to my lips, staring back at her with wide eyes. "Y-you didn't have to... I mean, you don't have to force yourself to...!"

"Nonsense, of course I do." She laughs as she pats me on the shoulder in an overly chummy way. "You're my girlfriend after all, why wouldn't I want to kiss you."

"You... _wanted_ to!?" The concept of Hal wanting to kiss _me_ , girlfriend or not, leaves me baffled in all the right ways.

"Of course I did, now get dressed, preferably in something dark- oh, and grab something to defend yourself with, just in case. I didn't have time to get you something to use this time." She says, and I am quick to obey. She has me under her spell, and she could tell me to do anything right now and I would follow her orders without question or complaint. I'm halfway through slipping on a pair of black leggings before I realize Hal is still standing right there, standing with a full, unobstructed view of my ass.

"Um..."

"Oh, right, sorry, did you want me to leave?" She asks me sincerely, but without a single bit of embarrassment. She doesn't balk or stammer in the face of watching another girl undress, which gives her an air of experience with this sort of thing- being romantically involved with someone- while I feel like a helpless deer caught in the intimidating headlights of a runaway train. But, for as shy as I feel, I don't actually know how to answer.

"... No, just... don't stare, I guess." My words fall out of my mouth in mumbles before I continue, facing the other way, since I'm sure turning around and looking her in the face while I take off my shirt would be too much for me to bear.

This is honestly shaping up to be an incredibly strange first date, with me stripping in front of my girlfriend before we head out for an evening of hunting supernatural monsters. Not exactly how I imagined it in my large collection of daydreams but... I can't quite say it's horrible in comparison.

"How's your foot, by the way? Are you good to be walking on it so much?" Hal finally speaks up as I slip my feet into an old pair of boots I had lying in my closet. My first, initial reaction is confusion, before I remember that I had sustained an almost transformative (I guess you could say) werewolf bite the other night. Since the hospital visit, the pain and swelling has gone down considerably, to the point where I had totally forgotten about it until now.

"I'm fine." I say, unable to hold back just how surprised I sound at my own, miraculous recovery. "It doesn't even hurt, I should be fine."

"Mmm-hmmm..." Hal mumbles, running her fingers under her chin thoughtfully, but doesn't elaborate. I'm left to finish dressing in silence, slipping on a jacket and grabbing a golf club from out of my closet, a product of a totally different, failed venture in trying to participate in the school's colorful variety of extracurriculars, since my baseball bat is probably still lying on the grounds of a certain abandoned rubber factory.

"So, what exactly are we doing tonight?" I ask her, as the two of us file out of my dorm room.

"I'll explain on the way- it shouldn't take very long, but so long as we get back here before sunrise, no one will have any idea we were gone." Hal says with a wink, before leading the way down the dark hallway. She walks with the confidence of someone who knows she won't be caught, but I still remain unconvinced until we pass by the security office and I catch a familiar glimpse of all the nuns meant to be on duty, passed out in their chairs inside. With the added knowledge that it's probably something magic related, the sight makes a little more sense.

Stepping out into the cool night air, the potentially horrifying gravity of the situation hits me now that we're no longer in the well-lit safety of my dorm room. I'm taken back to running through the dilapidated factory in almost pitch darkness, hearing Professor Ulrich, in his beastly form, snarl and snap at our heels. His massive, bulky form fills my mind, overwhelming me like he did that very night, and leaving me shaking on the dormitory steps. I hug my golf club close to myself, like it would be able to do anything at all. Against something as powerful, hungry and terrifying as what Professor Ulrich became, I might as well be wielding a toothpick.

"Are you alright?" Hal asks, pulling me from my frightened musings.

"I-I'm fine, just lost in thought." I partially lie as I follow after her. Walking forward is all that hides my legs that quiver like those of a newborn lamb.

"You're scared, aren't you?" She asks, seeing through my poorly-erected defenses and striking right at my core.

"What!? _Psh_ , me, scared?" I try to play things cool, but Hal narrowing her eyes breaks me down fast. "... Okay, maybe I am a little, _teensy_ bit scared."

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, this job _is_ terrifying." She assures me, as we head out towards the street. "Perhaps this is a little extreme of me to call this a 'hunt'. It's more of a meeting, and if everything goes according to plan, you won't even have to fight."

"A meeting?" I ask. "With who?"

"Hmm..." Hal hums in thought, mulling over something for a moment. It's probably a touch difficult for her to explain all this supernatural magic mumbo-jumbo in layman's terms, like explaining philosophy to an infant. "Not everyone who exists in this world of fantasy and mystery does so by choice. Sometimes, you have unwitting innocents who stumble upon something they shouldn't have, or are dragged into pacts or curses without their consent. Sometimes, it's about hunting monsters who might do our world harm, but other times, it's also about saving people."

"Oh, so we're just going to meet someone who needs our help?" I sigh, trying not to sound too relieved as I let my golf club hang down at my side again.

"I wouldn't get too relaxed, I said _if_ things go according to plan- there's a chance things might just go to shit. You always have to be prepared, or else you'll risk getting hurt or spirited away." Hal warns me, her tone so serious that it gives me goosebumps.

"Wh-what kind of person are we going to meet?" I dare to ask. "Did they come to you for help?"

"This time they did- but that isn't always the case." Hal elaborates. "We're an incredibly easy group to find, if you're looking for us and need our help, but often times, we go off of news and rumors, stories of unexplained disappearances and murders, or sightings of the supernatural. Our eyes and ears are always open- they have to be. Doing otherwise would lead to worse things than a werewolf eating a small handful of students."

"Ugh, don't remind me." I groan.

"Speaking of Ulrich, though, even though he's dead, this case has to do everything with him." Hal says, as a chill runs up my spine. "We had suspicions, since he had based himself here for so long, that he had intentions of starting his own pack here as well as turning our school into his personal all-you-can-eat buffet. He came to the city of Innistrad on his own, however, so he would have needed to build a new pack from the ground up- almost what happened to you."

"If he didn't eat me first." I can't help but add bitterly.

"Now that Ulrich is gone, that still leaves finding out if he turned anyone. Without a leader to follow, we could have a bunch of newly-turned, confused, hungry werewolves, driven only by instinct, fear and a desire to feed which, left unchecked, could lead to disaster." Hal continues. "We're lucky that we received a lead, otherwise, this would be much more difficult and dangerous. This way, we at least know that whoever contacted us still has enough sense of self to know there's something wrong, and that they need our help."

"We... we aren't going to kill them, are we?" I question with a nervous gulp.

"Only if it comes to that- like I said, this isn't meant to be a hunt." Hal shakes her head. "We only kill if it's necessary."

We wander through the nearly-deserted city streets, keeping to alleyways and shadows instead of just taking a more direct route out in the open. Hal's spell had taken care of the dormitory, but clearly she didn't have the ability to put the whole city to sleep. Many times, we find ourselves pressed up against walls or ducking behind dumpsters whenever the flash of headlights glint in the darkness. It's not exactly a far distance to travel, but constantly hiding and taking roundabout way after roundabout way makes our journey last an almost unbearable amount of time.

Our sneaky trip through town leads us to a building under construction, it's tall, metal and concrete skeleton wrapped in plastic tarp that noisily billows and crinkles in the wind. There's a fence and plenty of signage warning about trespassing, but I already know from experience that neither of those things mean much of anything to Hal when it comes to her job. And, honestly, once you've broken the law by trespassing once, you might as well just keep doing it- or at least, I tell myself this as Hal leads me into the second break-in of my young life.

It's all very routine, hopping the fence and avoiding getting caught on the barbed wire, escaping into the shadows of the construction sight before anyone can spot us. Things start to get to me, however, as we enter the shell of the building, and it's like every nerve on the surface of my skin is alive and alert. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end as I stop in my tracks. Something has an overwhelming grip on me, and I can't quite tell if it's terror, worry, or even excitement.

"Alena?" Hal asks, looking over her shoulder in concern as my hand slips out of hers.

"Something's wrong!" I can't help but burst out as I clutch at my gut that I can feel twisting and flip-flopping like crazy. "I-I don't know what it is, but... I can't explain it, something just doesn't feel right."

"Something...?" Hal mutters as she looks up at the partially-exposed floors that we can see through the naked, twisting stairwell. A powerful gust of wind passes outside, leaving the tarp over the building to flap noisily.

"We can't keep going, we have to get out of here!" I insist, even though I haven't the slightest clue why. My fight or flight response has been inexplicably kicked into high gear, and seeing as all I have at my disposal is a golf club, naturally running away is the more, attractive response.

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Hal asks, clearly restraining herself from sounding too annoyed with me.

"That's the thing- I don't know!" I shout desperately. "I don't know what it is, all I know is that we shouldn't-"

I stop mid-sentence as the feeling that's practically taken me hostage grows even more intense. Hyper-focused to the point where even keeping my eyes open is overwhelming, I'm suddenly overcome with the urgent need to grab hold of Hal and pull her closer. There isn't any time where I can possibly reflect or analyze these feelings- the second they pop into my head, they demand to be acted upon. Before she can say anything else in response, or even take a breath, I grab her by the arm and yank her back, throwing myself backward with just as much force. With a surprised shout and an uncomfortable grunt, I drag her down on top of me, down to the dirt-covered floor. I feel like I'm watching her grow more and more cross with me in slow motion, each crease of her furrowed brow highly defined as her amber eyes seem to spark to life in anger.

_SPLATT!_

Hal's frustration and my strange and crippling dread are relieved by the moist noise that sounds like a hunk of meat hitting the floor. There's a hot spray that flies up into the air, managing to reach and rain down on us. A single drop lands against my cheek, and somehow, I can smell it before I reach up to smear it off with my finger. It's pungent and thick, filling my nostrils to the brim and leaving me a mixture of nauseous and morbidly enticed. I glance at my fingers as I pull them away, immediately recognizing the deep, crimson color of blood.

"Shit!" Both Hal and I scream in unison, struggling to scramble away. My boots scrape against the filthy ground, kicking against something soft and moist as I scoot away. Hal rolls off me with surprising grace, pulling out her trusty pistol that had been snugly fastened onto the waistband of her pants and aiming it in one single, fluid motion. I sit up, heart pounding and mind racing-

Everything seems to come to an abrupt and jarring halt when we finally gaze upon what it was that I had somehow gained the wherewithal to pull Hal away from. Neither of us talk, or even breath, only share a quick, stressed side glance before returning to looking at what had joined us on the ground floor: a bloody, mangled corpse. It looks vaguely human- its eyes that are wide open in horror that gaze back at me, silently pleading for help, are definitely human. But its nose looks halfway like a muzzle, broad and sticking out, with sharp, bloodstained teeth visible from its mouth that's still open, like its screaming. Its body is bulky in all the wrong places, with muscles where muscles honestly shouldn't be, and limbs bent at strange angles, and not just from the fall.

Garnishing this terrifying treat that practically fell in our laps are deep, bloody gashes that warp its form even more, leaving almost every inch of it covered in its own blood. Chunks of flesh seem to have been scooped right off- or, maybe, _bitten_. I think I catch a glimpse of exposed guts, but I don't stare long enough to find out. I turn away, my nerves and tension finally releasing in one, sickening shiver as I lean over to throw up. The stench of my puke doesn't compare to the stench of blood... the smell of _meat_...

"Fuck!" Hal spits as she approaches the body, giving it a nudge with her shoe. Aside from a disgusting squelching noise that threatens to make me even more sick, it does nothing in response. Our surprise drop-in was dead on arrival. She jerks her head and the barrel of her pistol up, towards the upper floors that can be seen from the ground. Both hands wrapped tight around the handle and a finger pressed against the trigger, she reacts to every, tiny sound above us, frantically adjusting her aim left, then right, then left again.

"H-Hal..." I gasp, finally able to manage words without gagging. "This isn't... Is this the person we were supposed to meet?"

"Alena, please, be quiet, I need to listen for-"

"He's dead, isn't he!?" I cry, another cold shiver running up my spine

"Not now Alena." Hal says through bared teeth as she takes a step towards the stairs. With a gasp, I reach out and grab her by the pant leg. "Hey! Let me go!"

"No, if you go up there, then you'll be killed, too!" I shout in a panic, unsure of where these claims are coming from, but very convinced that they're accurate.

"I'm not going to-"

A piercing howl cuts Hal off, so loud and powerful that it feels like it shakes the building. It leaves my ears ringing and fills me with fear intense enough to paralyze me- as well as Hal. Her pistol is now half-raised, not as confidently as before. She steps backward until she's right up against me, covering me in a way that's as brave as she can manage- but I know that she's terrified, we both are. Something hangs thick in the air, and it's not just the stench of the corpse: it's killing intent so intense and so violent that it feels like it tightens around us like a fist- like the jaws of a wolf clamping down on its prey.

Silence falls, followed by a second, just as threatening howl, but it's definitely further away, leaving the effect of the noise dulled a bit from the first time. It grows further and further away, until it disappears completely, and finally, we can breath again.

"I... I thought for sure we were going to get attacked!" I gasp, clinging to Hal's leg. I refuse to look forward, I refuse to look at the mangled body of the man we had come here to meet. I only press my face against Hal's thigh, my tears that finally flow freely from my eyes absorbing into the denim of her pants.

"No... that was a warning. Whatever did this wants us to stay away." Hal muttered, slowly lowering her pistol, but refusing to release her white-knuckled grip.

"Was it one of Ulrich's-"

"No." Hal cuts me off abruptly with a sharp shake of her head. "Ulrich hasn't been around long enough, and wasn't powerful enough to sire something like this..." I look up at her, as her eyes scan the body that I can't even bare to look at. She takes in every detail fearlessly, analyzing every bite and claw mark left behind. On her lips grows an ever-sickening frown, though.

"Whatever did this, it's been here long before Ulrich came to town."

* * *

Returning to the dormitories, I use what little remaining time we have with Hal's spell to take a second shower- stepping out, only to go right back in and take a third. I've scrubbed myself nearly raw, but I can still smell the stench of blood on me, even through the floral body wash and in completely different clothes. I've only seen three dead bodies in my life time, now, and I'm nowhere near being an expert at letting the sensation just roll off me like the water that vanished down the drain at my feet.

 _How many more am I going to have to see? Will I ever grow used to it? Will I ever stop_ shaking!?

I return to my room, not wanting to see if a fourth round of scrubbing and soaking will do the trick, to where Hal is waiting, sitting on my bed. I had told her that she didn't have to force herself, but she had insisted, and I didn't have the heart to try and convince her. I wish I could experience this sort of situation differently, not shaken up and terrified. I'm living my own dream, having Hal to myself in my dorm room, but my thoughts are too much of a jumbled mess to care.

She perks up, seeming relieved that I've returned, like she expected that I wouldn't come back at all. Lucky for her, as much as I want to just run away screaming into the night and never come back, I don't have the energy.

"Sorry I kept you waiting." I apologize, unsure of what else to say. "You... really didn't have to."

"Like hell I didn't!" She gasps as she rises from her seat to meet me at the door. The second I shut it behind me, her arms are wrapped around me, pulling me close. Even with the heat of my showers still clinging to my body, her warmth that radiates from her body seeps into my skin, soothing me. "Are you alright?"

"Of course I am- I'm fine!" I insist, even though it doesn't sound as half as convincing as I want to- even to me.

"Don't lie!" She scolds, drawing away enough to look me dead in the eyes with a serious glare. "I need to know if you're alright- lying to save face isn't going to help."

"I..." I falter and sigh, and my shoulders sag in exhaustion. "I'm just... really shaken up. I'm terrified and... It's just going to take some time to process."

"...If you want out of this, for whatever reason-" Hal begins to say, but her words fill me with energy, and not in a good way. My stomach ties itself in knots as I panic at the thought, wrapping her in my own embrace as I bury my face into her chest.

"No!" I snap. "When I said I was willing to do this, I meant it! If it means getting to be by your side, I'll go through much worse than this! I just... need to calm down. I need a chance to relax and let this all soak in."

"Well, if you don't mind, I can help you with that, if you'll let me." Hal offers, and before I even have a chance to speak, she sweeps me off of my feet and easily lifts me off the ground, holding me in a bridal carry that seems nearly effortless. Her strong arms keep me safe, stopping me from falling back down onto the ground.

"You make it hard to say no when you pick me up like this, you know?" I ask, feeling my face grow hot from my blush.

"That's the idea." She says with a smile and giving me a playful wink. Already, I can feel the anxiety begin to ease away, replaced with butterflies that flutter nervously in my stomach. I'm unsure of what to say, and obviously don't have the strength to argue against her while scooped up in her arms. She's alluring in every sense of the word, and she knows it.

"Fine... if you insist." I mumble, nuzzling against her shoulder. She chuckles under her breath, saying nothing in response as she walks me over to the bed. With incredible care, she lays me down onto the mattress, and I hold my breath in anticipation. Her fingers trace across my cheek, brushing away stray strands of hair, and I take the opportunity to make my own move as I reach up, resting my own hand against hers and keeping it in place. The soft touch of her hand against my cheek alone is comforting. Everything about her is strong, safe and assuring.

"What now?" I ask, peering up at her. The light just overhead leaves her looking like she has a halo, adding the finishing touch to the visage of my angel.

"Now?" She laughs as she leans down and presses a feather-light kiss against my forehead. "I'm going to lie here next to you..." She does just that, having left just enough room so that she can snuggle up next to me.

"Y-yeah?" I say in anticipation.

"I'll hold you in my arms..." She says in a gentle whisper as she does just that, warmly embracing me.

"... And?" My heart is racing.

"-And, I'll stay here with you and lie here until you fall asleep." She finishes, leaving me feeling more than a little deflated. Not that she wasn't expecting this, judging by her laughter as she gives me another kiss, this time on my cheek.

"I'm sorry, were you expecting something else?" She asks me with a sly smile.

"I-I-" I stammer, caught utterly and completely red handed.

"I was hoping we could move a little more slowly than that." She chuckles. "After all, I'm still new to this whole romance thing."

"I-I am, too!" I gasp. "It's just... you're just so brilliant, I forget. You seem so much more capable and experienced than me with everything you do. It's... hard to believe I'm your first. You seem so perfect, not to mention out of my league."

"The life I've lead up until now hasn't left me with a lot of opportunities to be vulnerable, or with the luxuries of letting people get close. I have to keep them at a distance, no matter how much they adore me, or how much I want them. I've denied myself for years, I figured my heart had just dried up." She says before pressing her forehead against mine. The tips of our noses touch, leaving us both the tiniest scoot forward from sharing a kiss. "But, having you say it so bluntly, over and over, so determined to get your feelings across... that night, before we parted, and you were supposed to forget, I was blown away."

"R-really!?" I stammer, averting my gaze to keep from losing myself in the brilliant, amber pools that are gazing back at me. "Personally, I remember my performance being pretty piss-poor- emphasis on the piss." Much to my shock, this gets a tiny chuckle out of Hal, her full-lips curling into a smile that makes my heart skip a beat. If I were to die right here, in her arms while listening to her laugh at my jokes and looking at her swoon-worthy smile, well, I would honestly have no complaints.

"Out of all the people at this school who could have said they loved me, I'm glad it was you." She sighs through her smile, snuggling a bit closer. Our lips brush against each other with each word, tempting me and drawing me in closer and closer, almost daring me to kiss them. "I'm just afraid you'll come to your senses and regret accepting me and accepting the world that I live in- regret deciding to love me..."

"All of this is terrifying to me, I'll be honest. I'm scared of what's ahead, and what I've lived through already will probably haunt me for a while." I admit, before taking hold of Hal's face, resting my hands on both of her soft, unblemished cheeks. "But, I'll never regret loving you. I'll never regret taking the chance to live in your world, no matter how scary it is."

"Alena..." The way she almost breaths my name, like it's a precious secret only to be shared between the two of us, leaves me completely awestruck.

"Hal..." I whisper back, before boldly being the one to seal our lips together in a kiss. Her lips are soft, and taste faintly of lip-gloss. They willingly accept my advance, and kiss back, deepening the loving exchange. I want to freeze this moment in time, and keep the sensation of our kiss forever preserved. I wish I could stay here forever, wrapped in Hal's embrace, with her lips pressed against mine. I'll just have to live with getting to experience this feeling again and again, for as long as she'll accept these silly, embarrassing feelings of mine.

I personally hope it's for an eternity.

* * *

"Alena, oh my god!"

I peek out from the collar of my gym shirt as I pull it over my head. Thalia looks back at me, clad in nothing but her underwear, arms crossed and expression looking crosser. She gives me a look and raises her eyebrows impatiently, as if she's expecting some kind of answer from me.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm listening." I mumble, as I continue dressing myself.

"'Listening' my perfectly-shaped ass." She retorts. "You've had your head in the clouds since morning prayer, and I swear I thought I was going to have to go full lifeguard and save you from drowning in your own cereal."

"Not true, I was listening!" I say defensively. "I'm just a little tired, that's all!"

"Fine, then what was I just talking about?" Thalia quizzes me, remaining unconvinced.

"Could you possibly grill me when you're wearing clothes?"

"Don't dodge the question!"

"Fine, fine, you were... um..." I hesitate, not doing myself any favors. Thalia narrows her eyes and lets out a suspicious "hmmmm?" but says nothing. "...Talking about... Sigarda's... tits?"

"Nice guess, only because I do talk about them a lot- but not this time!" Thalia says, pointing an accusing finger my way. "You really weren't listening to me, were you! And after I spilled my guts about how hard I'm trying to quite smoking cold turkey because Sigarda told me I smelled yesterday, too!"

"Sorry I just... I didn't get a lot of sleep last night." I admit, lying completely by omission.

"Yeah, and I bet you were getting a whole lot of something else." She accuses under her breath. "I bet you snuck a certain other someone into your room, now that I'm not coming knocking at night."

"Thalia, please!" I groan, feeling my cheeks immediately heat up.

"I'm right, aren't I!?" She says, a wide smile giving away her interest. "Sweet little Alena finally bags herself a girlfriend and she's already inviting her over for steamy sleepovers! What would Jesus say about that!?"

"He'd say something about 'may she who is without sin throw the first stone'." I grumble, rolling my eyes as I change into the rest of my gym uniform. "We didn't even do anything, we just talked until I fell asleep."

"So she _did_ come over! I knew it!" Thalia shouts.

"Yeah, why don't you just announce it to the entire school while you're at it!" I hiss.

"Alright, alright fine, the world's most boring secret is safe with me." Thalia says in an almost sarcastic tone as she raises her hands in surrender. "I swear, you're wasting a fine piece of ass by sneaking her over at night just to talk."

"Not all of us are in it just to get as much action as possible, Thalia." I sigh. "It's not a game."

"You're just jealous because I'm totally winning." Thalia says with a proud smile.

"Quite the lively chat we're having for so early in the morning." Someone speaks up from behind us. I personally restrain myself, but Thalia holds back exactly none of her disdain as she looks over her shoulder at our surprise guest.

"What do you want, Vess?" She asks, as I finally gather my nerve to look back as well.

Liliana Vess is the daughter of a politician, and looks about as privileged as a life like that sounds. She's beautiful- some would even go as far as saying that she's gorgeous- but is a beauty that stands out harshly, like a light that's shining too bright. It's a beauty that demands attention, even if you don't actually want to give it, and honestly just existing around her is exhausting enough. Her long, raven-black hair is pulled up into a high ponytail, but even tied up, it flows all the way down to her mid-back. She hones in on me, targeting me the second she catches a glimpse of my eyes, and smirks.

"I just came over to confirm something, don't get your tacky panties in a wad." She says, her attention still completely on me before she addresses me directly. "I just happened to hear that someone spotted you and Miss Hal getting friendly with each other in the school garden the other day, and wanted to make sure it was true."

"Back off, Vess, she doesn't have to confirm _squat_ with you!" Thalia barks.

"I-it's none of your business, anyway!" I add as strong as I can.

"Hmm, interesting." Liliana says, pressing a finger to her smirking lips, seeming to have gotten everything she wanted, despite having been told absolutely nothing. "Well, see you two losers on the court." She gives us both a dismissive wave, and Thalia looks like she's half a second away from lunging forward and biting off her hand.

"I swear, that bitch gets on my nerves!" She growls as Liliana leaves the locker room, her laughter as she's joined by the rest of her friend group reaching all the way to where we're still standing. "And what right does she have, trying to judge you for who you interact with when she was sent to this school because she was caught slutting it up back home."

"I don't know, I heard that was a rumor."

"Well, sometimes, rumors are true." Thalia huffs. "Girl has no issues praying because she's used to being on her knees all the time."

"Stop- if one of the nuns hears you comparing prayer to fellatio, you're going to get chapel-sweeping duty for a month." I warn her, swatting her with my rolled up uniform blazer before tossing it into my locker.

I wait for Thalia to finish getting dressed, which takes an incredible amount of time, since she has to start all the way at the beginning about her smoking woes, and how much she just wants one, last cigarette. By the time she's finished, both with dressing and telling her tale, we're the last one's out of the locker room and out onto the gym floor- and what greets us makes me swear under my breath.

"Shit..."

Four volleyball nets have been set up across the sprawling gym floor, where most girls have already taken their positions. The way they look at Thalia and I makes me very aware that her and I are the last candidates they'd pick to join them- Thalia for the less embarrassing reason of just being good at soccer and nothing else, and me because my refusal to handle balls isn't just a personal preference and extends into sports as a whole as well. I have the coordination of a blind sloth and the stamina to match.

"Can't they make us run until we pass out? I'm good at that, especially the passing out part." I groan.

"Come on, it's only an hour of volleyball, what's the worst that can happen?" Thalia says with a shrug before patting me roughly on the back.

"Miss Alena! Miss Thalia! You both missed warm-ups!" Barks Sister Arlinn from the other side of the gym. Despite this, we can hear her and her booming drill-sergeant voice from here. She's an older woman, not the oldest nun leading classes at St. Avacyn's, but she's definitely the loudest and the toughest, like the kind who has definitely seen and been shaped by war. She could probably tell some real interesting stories if she wasn't so bossy.

"Sorry Sister!" We both shout in unison.

"Two laps around the school track after class!" Sister Arlinn shouts back, doling out our punishments before we have a chance to take a breath.

"Hey, but that will make us late for our next class!" Thalia argues. "If I'm late to Sister Gisela's class one more time, she's going to beat me with a ruler!"

"You should have thought of that before you wasted yours and our time in the locker room!" Sister Arlinn doesn't budge, giving Thalia a sharp frown and a icy glare. "Now, Miss Thalia, third pod! Miss Alena, first pod!" She barks her orders and paces along the far end of the gym, watching and waiting for us to take our places.

"Don't have to be such a bitch about it, god..." Thalia mutters under her breath, before running over to her own group and getting directed to where she needs to stand. I, on the other hand, take my time with joining up with the team that's going to get stuck playing with me, especially when I hear someone call out to me.

"Easy win, girls, looks like our opponents pulled the short straw!" Liliana says mockingly to her teammates, but it's obviously directed right at me. Everyone on her side of the net laughs along with her, my track record obviously preceding me. None of my own teammates rise to my defense, either, and instead shift around to make room for me in the far back of the group. They know just as well as the others, and I can hear a few of them complaining under their breath.

 _Just an hour of volleyball. More like just an hour of getting gently_ bullied.

The matches start with the sharp blow of Sister Arlinn's whistle, and so does my slow-roasted hazing. The girls on the other side of the net always seem to aim the ball right at me as they strike it over the net, and even when I'm primed and ready to actually set the ball, someone else practically dives in front of me to intercept it, like if I touch the ball at all, I'll curse it. I'm kept at the far back, even as everyone else rotates, banished to where I can be eventually ignored. I contemplate faking an injury. I contemplate staging an _actual_ injury.

As I'm contemplating just how to effectively twist my own ankle, however, something catches my attention- and I mean _really_ catches it. I take a sharp breath as I look to the net, my body suddenly growing tense as I become hyper-focused on the volleyball. It's been set high in the air, soaring up above the net for what looks to be the makings of a spike. Everyone on my side of the net are spread out, leaving the entire center of our side of the court wide open, and Liliana is readying herself to give her team an easy point. I catch a glint in her eye as she looks at me through the strings of the net, a smirk on her face that smugly says to not even try.

_Fuck her._

The tension that starts in my core and spreads to my limbs turns to anger as it releases, and I spring into action as I rush towards the front, right up to the net. Liliana has already jumped, her hand poised and ready to smack the ball in our direction. Her eyes grow wide, however, like she's surprised I'm here. Honestly, in the back of my mind, I'm surprised I'm here, too. My trip from the back to the net was a blur, like my body is suddenly on some crazy auto pilot and my brain can't keep up. I turn my gaze to the ball, just barely out of Liliana's reach. I bend my legs and make my best effort, not expecting much, but at the same time, not sure of what to expect at all.

Where did the net go? Where did _Liliana_ go!? Where in the hell did the _ground_ even go!? All I see is the ball, right above me, right within striking distance. Ignoring the questions that buzz through my head like a pissed off swarm of bees, I raise my own hand, putting as much power into my strike as I can with every ounce of anger that brews in my stomach like a storm. I'm still not expecting much, but att this point, there's so much going on that I can't reasonably explain, I don't exactly know what to expect at all. This all could be a very, very vivid daydream, but the sting of the leather smacking against my hand says otherwise.

Everything speeds up before my very eyes as I give the volleyball a mighty smack, and I hardly have enough time to look down and see the ball spiral downward and collide directly with Liliana's forehead, her raised arm going limp as she falls back down onto the polished gym floor. Everyone gasps, or makes a pained "ooh" noise- not just either team, but the entire gym. The sounds of surprise echoes through the entire room, accompanied by what sounds like Thalia laughing it up from the other side of the room. I don't look to her- shit, I can't bear to look at anyone right now. Nobody is clapping or cheering, everyone is too freaked out by the fact that I just knocked Liliana Vess out with a volleyball. A few girls run to her side and help her up as she moans in agony, only half conscious.

"Holy shit," is all I can say as I look down at my hand, my skin red and raw from hitting the volleyball one, single time. My palm tingles wildly, and it hurts to curl my fingers. What even was that? _Who_ even was that, because that certainly wasn't me! "Holy _shit..._ "


	3. Chapter 3

The hallway is quiet, but my thoughts are deafening as I sit outside the infirmary. I'm still not totally sure if I'm here because I was legitimately concerned and guilty about what happened to Liliana, or if I was cleverly getting out of having to run laps after class, but here I am, ice pack pressed against my hand to, at least, make it look like I belong here and not in my next class. Pausing my train of thought that is plowing so hard and fast through my mind that it's flying off the tracks, I crane my head to look through the crack in the window blinds behind me, catching a glimpse of Liliana. She's still lying on one of the infirmary beds with an ice pack resting against her forehead. I hope she's just using this opportunity to take a break from classes and reflect, too, and not seriously concussed after what I did to her.

I'm still trying to make sense of what I did to her myself. No matter how I spin things in my head, nothing is making sense. Close to eighteen years of my life has more than proven that I don't have an athletic bone in my body, and I don't really pay much attention in science class, but I'm pretty sure adrenaline isn't capable of suddenly turning you into a volleyball-spiking superhero. I want to revel in this moment a little- I mean, is it not every girl's dream to knock the school bully out cold, while simultaneously performing some herculean show of strength and skill in front of dozens of witnesses, because it sure could be mine- but, I keep on dragging myself down with the fact that what I did should have been impossible.

But I _did it_. The shocked faces that saw me out, and Liliana currently lying in the infirmary in agony (and probably shame) is more than enough proof, if I didn't want to believe my own eyes and my own throbbing hand. It totally happened. It totally happened, and I have no explanation as to _how_.

Pulling my hand away from the ice pack, I stare down at my still-red skin, noticing the clear beginnings of blisters forming from just a single smack of a volleyball. My body may have become inexplicably strong, but my flesh is still my same, old, sensitive flesh that can burn on a cloudy day if I'm not careful. I cringe at the sight, as well as the thought of how irritating it's going to be to have blisters on my dominant hand, pressing the ice pack back against my palm.

"Yikes, that looks like it hurts!"

I yelp in surprise and scramble in my seat as I look up, coming face to face with Hal, who leans over me, and takes me by the wrist before I can even begin to explain, or ask what she's doing here when she should be in class like everyone else. Also, from this angle, I can see right down her unbuttoned school blouse, and get an eye-full of cleavage and a glimpse of her bra (black, with decorative lace) so whatever questions about what she's doing and why she isn't in second period are quickly lost in the turbulent, hormonal sea of "is she flashing me, or is this on accident!?"

"Here, I've got _just_ the thing." She says with a smile as she removes the ice pack and thoughtfully looks down at my minor injury. Humming long and playfully enough to sound sarcastic, she leans in a little more to press a gentle kiss against my skin. It tingles at her touch, and I don't know if it's just because my hand is still scary sensitive, or if that's just how my entire body reacts to being kissed by her. Again, I don't argue, as I feel my cheeks begin to heat up, no doubt the same color as my irritated hand.

"There, that should do it." She chuckles, and lets go of my wrist. I pull my hand back, looking down at my palm that's still red and blistering, but the placebo effect of her kiss works wonders, since now I'm more concerned with trying not to swoon than the sting.

"Th-thanks..." I manage to utter

"I heard what happened, by the way." She says, and I groan as I'm dragged back into baffling reality that not even a thousand hand-kisses is going to help with. "Did you really beat up Liliana?"

"Please tell me that's not how bad the rumors have gotten already? It's not even lunch period yet!" I moan. "I didn't 'beat her up' I just... spiked a volleyball directly into her face- which I know doesn't sound real, but I swear that's what happened. It sounds a lot less believable than me just losing it and whooping her ass, but it's the truth!"

"Directly into her face?" Hal asks, like she's checking that she heard me right. Personally, _I_ don't even believe me yet, and I was there!

"I... I can't even really explain it, I'm still trying to process it all, to be honest." I sigh. "It's not like I meant to, it just... _happened_. I saw an opening, and my body reacted on its own. Before I could even process what was going on, I swear, I jumped like six feet in the air and knocked Liliana flat on her ass with a volleyball. That's probably why people are spinning it to be as simple as me just decking her: it's a lot easier to explain."

"Hmmm..." Hal hums to herself, gently pinching her chin between her thumb and forefinger as her full lips are drawn into a thoughtful frown. "It could be..."

"Could be what!?" I wind up blurting out impatiently, craving any kind of explanation that could make sense of what I just experienced. "What's going on with me?"

"Not here, not out in the open like this." Hal says as she casts suspicious glances to either side, before reaching out and taking me, thankfully, by my good hand. Even though I should be staying put, I more than happily allow her to pull me up onto my feet, and follow her down the hall like an obedient puppy, leaving nothing behind but my used ice pack.

I want to ask her a million questions, and they all dance inside my mouth and tickle my tightly-shut lips, but every time I open my mouth to speak, she squeezes my hand and gives me a look over her shoulder, as if to say, 'not now'. I'm left to only imagine what conclusion she could have possibly drawn from just my bare-bones explanation of my out-of-body volleyball assault experience, and I can't help but worry that it might be something bad, and she doesn't want me to flip out in public. But, then again, what even is 'bad' in this situation? What is the 'bad' explanation as to why I've become the school's number one volleyball assassin?

Hal leads me all the way outside and into the school garden, where absolutely nobody is. We step off the stone path that wraps around the trees and bushes and leads towards the abbey, and into the soft grass that muffles our footsteps. She looks back and forth again, scanning the garden before pulling me behind one of the impressively-thick rose bushes that are practically the pride and joy of the school. Here, snug between bushes in full bloom, with the intoxicating smell of roses wafting all around us, Hal finally stops and turns to me, looking me dead in the eyes.

Oh... Oh god, did we come here to make out? Was this just a ruse? Is Thalia starting to become a bad influence on me? _Probably..._

"U-Um-"

"Okay, so it's probably a really latent lycanthropic curse." Hal blurts out before I even have a chance to pucker up. Instead, I'm left with hardly even a leg to stand on, since I was braced for a kiss instead of... whatever the hell just came out of her mouth.

"A what!?"

"Oh, sorry, don't freak out- probably should have led with that..."

"What do you mean a... a lypancrothic curse!?"

"Okay, one, it's _lycanthropic_ , as in lycanthropy- werewolves." She elaborates, but I feel like the more into specifics she gets, the more freaked out I feel. Her tone says "calm down" but her words, on the other hand, cause the exact opposite. In fact, the very mention of "werewolves" is starting to become a trigger for anxiety at this point. "You remember when Professor Ulrich bit you, right?"

"Are you implying that nearly getting eaten alive and turned into a werewolf is something I would _forget?_ " I ask, feeling like the wind has been knocked out of me. "Didn't you use that stuff- whatever it was- that was supposed to stop all that!?"

"That 'stuff' was to keep you from turning. It gets rid of a large portion of a lycanthropic curse, but if it were any stronger, a normal human wouldn't be able to handle it. There's still traces of the curse in your blood, but not enough to make you a werewolf..." Hal goes on, clearly trying to soften her explanation as much as she can.

"Just enough to make me a freak of nature, though?"

"Don't call it that! Your senses have been heightened and you're ultimately going to be much faster and stronger than before, but that hardly makes you a freak." She's quick to correct me. "And, it's not like it lasts forever. Eventually, the curse will work its way out of your body, and you'll be back to sucking at volleyball."

" _Hey!_ "

"Sorry- I mean, back to normal."

"God..." I moan, pressing both of my palms against my now-aching head. "How long is this going to last, then? I can't keep snapping in the middle of gym class whenever this stupid curse kicks in and turns me into the hulk! I have a reputation to uphold, you know?"

"And what kind of reputation is that?"

"The reputation of _not having one!_ "

"It honestly depends on the strength of the werewolf and their curse. Sometimes, it fades within a few days and weeks, but I've heard of cases lasting as long as several years." Hal sighs, clearly getting things back on track to keep from arguing with me.

" _Years!?_ " I repeat, that single word feeling like a big punch to the gut. "All he did was bite my foot!"

"Where he bit you doesn't matter- and like I said, it's only _some_ cases- please, I need you to calm down!" She pleads with me, resting her hands firmly on my shoulders. "This isn't a death sentence, alright? And, the longer the remnants of the curse are in your blood, the easier it will be to keep those bursts of wild energy under control... it just might take hitting one or two more people in the face with sports balls, that's all."

"Is 'calming down' and just accepting this really all I can do? Isn't there something else you have that can... make me a normal person again?" I ask, trying to choke down my frustration. I don't want to be upset with her, I know none of this was her fault. Without her, I'd be a feral man-eating monster, like Ulrich. I'm just not the biggest fan of the trade off being I'm going to have to struggle to keep my senses and body in check for an indeterminable amount of time.

"Unfortunately, waiting is all we can do- but, if you ever wind up needing help, you know you can always call me." She says, trying to cheer me up.

"I know..." I mutter, gaze drifting down to my feet.

"And, in my opinion, I think it's really cool." She assures me as she reaches up to brush hair from out of my face and neatly tucks it behind my ear. I can't help but shiver as I feel the tips of her nails brush against my cheek. My eyes flutter closed in contentment as she moves to cup my cheek and coaxes me to look back up at her.

"You really mean that?" I can't help but ask. I've been called a lot of things in my lifetime, but rarely has it ever been 'cool'. Cool is new, and I don't quite know how to feel about it, but it came from Hal's lips, so it can't be that bad. Maybe, I can live with 'cool', for however long it lasts.

"Of course I do." She laughs, drawling closer as she loops one hand behind me, with the other still cradling my face.

So we _did_ come here to make out! The circumstances are a little different than before, but I'm certainly not going to complain, not with Hal's velvet-soft lips this close to mine.

" _Hey!_ " A gruff, angry-sounding voice shouts, destroying the moment utterly and without a single scrap of mercy, forcing Hal and I apart. She plays off being caught mid-kiss like it was nothing, her features calm and serene as she turns to face our intruder. I, on the other hand, feel like I'm going to puke out my own frantically beating heart. "The garden isn't for cutting class!"

At this point, I honestly wish we'd been caught by one of the nuns, at least with them, I've gotten over the fear of a long, shaming tongue-lashing and a smack with a ruler. Mr. Wildspeaker, the school gardener, is what fears are made of, especially when he's lumbering right in your direction, pointing an accusing finger at you and yelling. I'd run, but I'm sure it would only make things worse.

Mr. Wildspeaker is more comparable to a pissed-off ape than a man- or maybe someone who was raised by one. That could have been apart of his very colorful backstory in whatever wrestling circuit he undoubtedly was apart of before he started working at St. Avacyn's. He's well over six feet, and is just muscle wrapped around more muscle, with a face only a mother could love. In all the years I've attended school here, I've never seen the man so much as crack a grin, and at this point I think seeing him smile would actually be even more terrifying than his usual pissed-off snarl. It's hard to believe that a man so massive and intimidating was the one who planted and cared for all of these beautiful flowers that he pushes past.

"W-we were just talking!" I squeak.

"I don't give a damn what you were doing, the both of you have no business being here!" He snaps, shaking a spade covered in fresh dirt in our faces. "Sneaking around here during class is against school rules- and I'm sure the _headmaster_ would agree with me."

"But-!" I begin to protest, but I honestly have no idea how to plead our case.

"It's not what it looks like, Mr. Wildspeaker- may I call you Garruk?" Hal cuts in, cool as a cucumber and as sweet as honey.

"You may not." Mr. Wildspeaker grumbles, frowning but more than obviously getting caught up in her charms.

"I'm sorry, we'll be out of your hair in just a moment, we were just here to take pictures of your beautiful flowers for art class. No picture off the internet would do, I needed references of the real deal." She continues, whipping out her phone and doing just that.

"That was an awful lot of ruckus to be making over taking a few pictures of flowers." He narrows his eyes, settling his chilling gaze on me.

"We were just discussing which of these blooms would be best as a reference- please excuse her, she's _very_ passionate." Hal says while elbowing me gently in the side.

"Oh yeah, that's me... big, _big_ horticulture nerd!" I exclaim nervously, shoulders stiff and hands down at my sides.

"We're very sorry for interrupting your work- we'll be on our way in just a second." Hal adds, giving me an approving pat on the shoulder.

"Hmph..." Mr. Wildspeaker grunts, looking incredibly unconvinced, but also way too annoyed to argue with either of us. "Whatever, just take your pictures and get back to class- but if I catch you two here again, I'm hauling your asses to the headmaster's office, got it?"

"Of course." Hal says with a nod.

I mean to say the same thing, but in my almost blinding nervousness, I wind up blurting out " _neat_ " instead, which earns me an annoyed look from Mr. Wildspeaker, but thankfully not much else. He throws one last stink-eye over his bulky shoulder before he turns and goes back to whatever dirt mound he'd been working in before.

"Holy _shit..._ " I whisper, feeling like I need to catch my breath.

"Sorry about that, I totally forgot to take tall, dark and dirty into account." Hal apologizes, taking a few more pictures of the roses to keep up the act, just in case we're still being watched.

"How do you forget about someone like that." I chuckle weakly. "It's okay, though- you can kiss me some other time."

"Who said I was going to kiss you, hmm?" She asks with a smirk and a teasing grin. "Do you want one that badly?"

"Well, I-" I stammer and blush. "I mean, I wouldn't mind- I wasn't expecting you to, or anything, but, I mean... I wouldn't complain."

She giggles before she leans in and presses the smallest, quickest kiss against my lips, before pulling away, all smiles. It was hardly much of a kiss at all, but it was enough for me to feel her tantalizing warmth and taste her lip gloss. I want more, but I also don't want to push our luck, with Mr. Wildspeaker skulking around.

"Will I see you again tonight?" I ask her. "Are we going to go out hunting again?"

"Ah, right, _that_..." She suddenly seems oddly worried- maybe because of the mysterious werewolf we had a close encounter with the other night. I certainly have been worrying about that a lot. "There is something we have to take care of- I've been kind of avoiding it, honestly."

"Avoiding what?" I pry, but she reaches out and presses a finger against my lips, and I immediately shut up. Up this close, I can smell the floral hand soap still lingering on her skin.

"I'll explain later." She says with a shake of her head. "For now, let's get back to class."

* * *

"I still can't believe those bitches are twisting your story to sound like you picked a fight with Liliana!" Thalia complains, her head out my bedroom window as another cloud of smoke billows from her mouth. Ashes fall like confetti from her lit cigarette as she waves her hand, getting caught up in her complaining. "Some of them were there- they saw you just... _WHAM!_ Ball to the fucking face!"

"Liliana's probably controlling the narrative, she wants it to seem like it was nothing special on my part, I guess." I sigh, working on my math homework from my bed, since Thalia has taken to sitting on my entire desk.

The rumor mill haunted me the entire day, and by lunch period it felt as if the entire school thought I was some sort of emotionally unstable bully just waiting for a reason to pop off and beat someone. My only saving grace was, ironically, that Sister Arlinn had been there, and she was probably making sure the other nuns knew the full- albeit strange and inexplicable- story. The rumors about me being violent and punchy didn't get me pulled to the side for a lecture, thank god. They just haunted me around every corner, and had people stepping out of my way. And, thanks to this whole lycanthropic curse nonsense, my hearing is crazy good now, so I heard every whispered word.

"She just doesn't want to be humiliated that you knocked her out with a volleyball- if she couldn't take victory on the court, she was going to do everything in her power to snag the moral one." Thalia grumbles as she takes another long drag. Cigarette number two is almost down to being a useless nub of ash at her fingertips. "At least, either story ends with you dropping her ass right on the gym floor."

"I don't know- you're not the one at the center of these rumors, Thalia, I'd rather either story didn't get out at all. I didn't even mean to do what I did, it wasn't like I was exacting revenge or anything." I mutter, trying to focus on a particularly difficult equation, while also trying to figure out the square root of how to filter the smell of cigarette smoke out of my room.

"Oh, right, 'whoops, I accidentally tripped and became a pro at volleyball and made a spike so powerful that it knocked someone out'- that sort of thing happens _all the time!_ " She says with a roll of her eyes as she puts the remains of the cigarette out on the outside of the building before flicking it out into the darkness. "If you play it off like that, of course people are just going to believe that you decked her during gym class."

"Well, that's what happened, I don't know what else to tell you. Maybe it was just god, answering my prayers to get Liliana Vess off my back." I explain, because that's as much as I can tell her. Obviously, I can't go launch into a tale about how I got bitten by a werewolf and now have super strength and heightened senses, and also that she was there and would have remembered everything if Hal hadn't magically drugged her. "It just happened" and "act of god" are really all I have to explain my sudden physical prowess away.

"Shit, your god is an awesome god, then." She scoffs as she reaches into her pack of cigarettes again, only to curse when she comes up empty handed.

"Aww, is baby all out of her cancer sticks?" I tease. She glares at me as she tosses her empty box into my trash bin. "Seriously, after everything you said, you couldn't quit for more than a couple of days. Maybe you should be the one praying for willpower, not me."

"Can it- going cold turkey is actually harmful, thank you very much. I'm just cutting down." She explains with a huff.

"Right, from two packs a day to one." I smirk.

"Spare me the lecture, please- what are you, my guidance councilor?" Thalia groans as she hops off my desk.

"I don't worry, I'm not going to give you shit. I'll leave that to Sigarda. I bet her denying you kisses is going to help you quit better than any old PSA ever could." I laugh, reclaiming my spot at my desk.

"Shut up." She says with a roll of her eyes.

"You're only mad because I'm right."

"Whatever." She groans as she heads before the door.

"What? No goodnight kiss?" I ask with a fake pout. She turns around with a smirk and flips me off instead, which was about what I was expecting.

"See you tomorrow, _slugger_." She says before quietly opening my door and slipping back out into the hall. I sigh, drinking in the peace that's tinged with the scent of Thalia's cigarettes, before returning to my work. I swear, people are going to think that _I'm_ the one smoking before they even discover that Thalia blatantly sneaks around the dorms at night.

A gentle knock coming from my door pulls me from my work before I even get the chance to focus again, and I hold back a groan as I push back from my desk. At this rate, my math homework is never going to get finished.

"Let me guess, you found one last cigarette?" I ask as I open my door, but, much to my surprise, it's Hal I wind up finding standing at my door hand raised to try and knock again. "Oh! Sorry, I thought you were-"

"Let me guess, Thalia was just here." She chuckles before taking a quick sniff of the air. "Scratch that, I know she was here."

"You just missed her." I say, happy that I'm actually somewhat decent this time: still dressed in my uniform I was too busy to take off once I got back to my dorm room. "Want to come in?"

"Actually, I was hoping _you_ would come with _me_." She motions out into the hall. "We've got some business to take care of that I think needs to be done sooner rather than later."

"Oh right, the thing you mentioned." I nod. "Should I grab a makeshift weapons or something? To be totally honest, I'm starting to run out of discarded sports stuff that I can use-"

"Actually, I think it would be best if you came unarmed." Hal corrects me, catching my curious look almost right away. "We're not going hunting or anything, you'll be fine just being empty-handed this time."

"I don't know, that look on your face makes it feel like I should be worried." I point out, cowering slightly behind my door. "Where in the world are you taking me?"

"Nowhere dangerous, I promise- we aren't even going to leave campus."

"What, are we going back to your room?" I joke playfully.

"N-no! Of course not!" Hal gasps, turning down my flirting a little too hard, like I just suggested something totally and utterly sinful. Her cheeks turn the slightest shade of red as she waves her hands in front of her in harsh denial. "I... I mean, I'm not that kind of girl, who would come and proposition you like that in the middle of the night."

"I wouldn't mind." I throw out, trying not sound as thirsty as I feel.

"Hrrmm, maybe some other time, then..." Hal says under her breath before regaining her composure. "But, right now, I just need you to come with me."

"Not until you tell me where exactly we're going." I tell her stubbornly.

"Just... I need to take you to see someone- a friend." Hal explains. "It'll be a lot easier to explain once we're there, if I try and explain who she is, it's going to sound like I'm lying. Just know that she's the one who I essentially work for- I do all this hunting for her."

"Ah, so your boss?"

"Something like that." She shrugs. "I'll elaborate on the way- I don't want to keep her waiting."

"Alright, hold your horses." I obey and step out into the hall, closing the door behind me and bathing us in darkness. I feel Hal reach out and take my hand, and then more than happily spreads her fingers to give me enough room to lace mine between them. Her palm feels sweaty, giving away just how nervous she is, leaving me to wonder who exactly her boss is to make her lose her cool, when monsters and scary gardeners alike hardly even phase her.

"My 'boss'- I guess you would say- has been making sure that The City of Innistrad has been protected for a very long time. She chooses people like me from a very young age, from long lines of monster hunters, to defend this school, as well as the city itself." Hal finally speaks up as she leads me down the quiet, dark hallway. "She used to watch over Innistrad all by herself, believe it or not, but this city is such a hotbed for supernatural and magical activity, she required our help once she was forced to take her operations more underground."

"Why's that? Is she running from the law or something." I ask jokingly.

"Something like that..." Hal pauses, as if she's trying to find the right words. "She faked her own death."

"Was it something she did? Did something horrible happen?" I continue to throw out questions, feeling like I'm growing closer and closer to an answer, but I have no idea what it's going to be. It feels like I'm unraveling a long, complicated conspiracy instead of just learning about Hal's boss.

"Nothing like that, no." Hal shakes her head. "She wound up having to, because it was something that was simply meant to happen."

"Okay, either you're being obtuse on purpose, or I'm just not getting it." I mutter. "What do you mean it was meant to happen?"

"Well, I mean... it's natural for people to die, right? Like, death is just a part of regular, human life." Hal struggles as we cross over from the dormitories over to the school building. The gates that usually block off the route leading into the school have been lifted, as if someone is expecting us.

"... Yeah..." I narrow my eyes. "I mean, I personally am not a fan of pondering over the inevitability of death, but you're right- but also _why?_ "

"You see, my 'boss' felt like it was her time, and that she needed to 'die' in order to keep from raising suspicion."

"Suspicion of what?"

"That she isn't human."

"What, is she an alien?" I ask, but the look that Hal gives me makes it more than plainly obvious that maybe now wasn't the time for sarcasm. "Heh, y'know, or not..."

"No, it's fine. She does have the tendency to act like someone who isn't from this planet." Hal says with a sigh before falling silent. I guess there isn't much else to say once you immediately drop the fact that 1. your boss faked her own death and 2. that she isn't human. Instead, she leaves me to mull the few facts over in my head as she leads me through the quiet halls of the school- and I very much do, trying to narrow down a very long list of "things this mysterious woman could possibly be". At this point, all I've encountered are werewolves, I don't know what fantasy creatures are actually real things that can hurt and eat you and which are totally made up at this point. Like... is the Loch Ness Monster real?

Is Hal's boss the Loch Ness Monster?

Finally we stop, ending our journey in the school lobby, right in front of the imposingly large statue of Saint Avacyn herself, hand over her heart, while the other cradles a small child. Her likeness is everywhere, from the school website, to brochures- this saint of a woman is baked deep into the school's brand and almost aggressive ad campaign. And, if the statue was oddly intimidating during the day, seeing the massive statue loom over us at night, her face drenched in shadow, is going to ensure that her stone face wearing a serious frown is probably going to haunt me as long as I live.

"How much do you know about Saint Avacyn?" Hal asks me, surprisingly. I definitely wasn't expecting to be quizzed about school history, so the question catches me totally off guard, leaving me to stare blankly back at her, waiting for some kind of explanation that never comes. She just stares right back at me, waiting for me to spit back the information that we both very well know has been drilled into our heads since we enrolled.

"Sh-she's the one who founded the school, and was a nun from the associated abbey, wasn't she?" I answer, more that obviously struggling to see the point. "She did a lot of community work for the city way back when, and was elevated into sainthood, probably because she was so beloved. Even people in town who aren't religious speak about her with an air of reverence, like she's some local celebrity they know."

"They say she worked dozens of miracles during her lifetime." Hal mentions, which is something I'd expect a nun to say mid-lecture. All the nuns at this school are Saint Avacyn's biggest fangirls, after all.

"I always figured she was just really medically gifted for the time and people passed it off as miracles." I shrug. "But, of course, lately I can't be quite sure..."

"I'm sure she'll be interested to hear that one." Hal laughs.

"Hey, wait, what do you mean by that? Who is 'she'?" I ask as Hal approaches the statue and reaches out, her hand tracing along the carved marble folds of her robe.

"Isn't it obvious?" Hal tilts her head towards me, a slightly-excited look on her face, like she's been waiting all night to do this kind of reveal. A gentle click resonates from the statue itself as something in my brain clicks as well. "'She' is Avacyn."

A deep rumble shakes the lobby, and I take several steps away while looking up at the statue. It feels like it's looking right at me, judging my very worth and counting every sin. If just looking up at a stone likeness of the woman makes me feel this way, then what is the real deal like? My heart pounds against my chest, and I'm consumed by fear for yet another night in a row- although this time, it's not the fear of being maimed and eaten. Instead, it's the fear of being read for filth by a woman who was canonized long before I was even born. Suddenly the nervous looks Hal has been giving me all night make a whole lot more sense.

The tiles on the floor right below the statue slide over one another until a deep, dark pit is revealed, complete with a twisting staircase leading down into the mysterious, dark bowels of the school. I crane my neck from where I stand, still too overwhelmed to even move. Hal, however, already has a foot in the hole, and she looks back at me expectantly.

"Coming?" She asks, reaching out her hand when I don't immediately answer or draw near. "I promise, this will be like any other night: I won't let anything bad happen to you."

"R-right..." I stammer, stealing one, last glance of the statue of Saint Avacyn before shuffling over to Hal and more than happily taking her hand. She pulls me close, running her hand up my arm and onto my shoulder. She looks like she wants to say something else to assure me, but the words catch in her throat and result in a wavering smile instead. It may be on different levels, but we're both nervous about this meeting now.

Going back to taking my hand, Hal leads me down the steps and into the dark. It becomes so pitch black that I am forced to reach out and trace my hand along the walls of the pit to keep myself balanced. Surprisingly, the air of this secret passage that probably doesn't see a lot of foot traffic smells clean- almost sterile, like a hospital. This place is pure... this place is _sacred._

I stumble in surprise when my feet meet something other than stairs, and I can feel Hal wrap an arm around me, embracing me and keeping me from falling completely forward. It's still totally dark, leaving me to rely on my other senses as we slowly progress into... wherever the hell this is.

Our footsteps echo all around us, and I can tell we're in a much larger space than before, judging by how the sound bounces off the unseen walls. Just like the stairwell, this place smells clean- hardly a place that sees any neglect. And, on top of it all, I can't help but sense something: a crushing, overwhelming feeling. I have no idea where it is we are, but I feel like I've already been judged and am unwelcome in this place.

"Have you brought the girl?" A voice asks from the darkness. It's unfeelingly cold, while also sounding strangely motherly. It's a voice that makes me feel like I've done wrong, and that they know it. I press myself even closer to Hal, who wraps her arm even tighter around me in turn, like a snake gently constricting me.

"Yeah, she's here," she responds, "just like I promised."

Light suddenly floods the room- not from the ceiling, but from the floor. Pale, blue light drifts upwards, climbing up walls and illuminating everything in an eerie glow. All along the walls are intricately carved columns and sculptures, taking the likeness of elegant angels and innocent cherubs, with some holding fixtures that produce even more of a similar icy glow as the floor. The room itself is large and round, with a domed ceiling I can just barely see is painted to look like a sky filled with even more angels peering down from above.

Footsteps that don't belong to either me or Hal pull my attention away from the impressive interior design of this strange room, and I jerk my head forward with a jump. Hal, on the other hand, goes so completely still, she might as well be another one of the stone carvings that decorate the walls. I'm braced for anything- especially anything terrible.

Three figures have come to meet us, and what shocks me first is that I recognize two of them: Sister Gisela and Sister Bruna, two young nuns who work at the school as teachers, both of whom have totally discarded their headwear, which I personally have never seen either of them without. Sister Gisela's hair falls around her face and shoulder in wavy, thick, red streams, while Sister Bruna's long, black hair glides down passed her shoulders, straight and orderly. It probably goes without saying that I've never proper ogled any of the nuns at Saint Avacyn's befor,e but I would be lying now if I were to say that both women weren't stunningly gorgeous. They're still nuns, though, regardless of what they're doing down here, so I probably shouldn't stare.

Luckily, the third member of their group, standing between the two of them, demands almost all of my attention, as well as steals my breath. She stands taller than both Sister Gisela and Sister Bruna, and holds herself with pride. Her skin is pale and flawless, like unblemished, untouched marble, and her hair is no different: pure while and floating around her like rivulets of elegant smoke. In stark contrast, her makeup is heavy and dark around her eyes and her lips are painted coal black. Her clothes are equally as dark, official and business-like, as well as form fitting and leaving no curve to the imagination. The most captivating thing about her, however, are her eyes that are glued to me, leaving me paralyzed and hyper-aware of my own breathing. Her iris is almost as white as the rest of her eye- a pure milky-white, with no pupil to speak of.

"You must be Alena." She speaks again, and hearing her say my name makes my legs buckle, and my face heat up at the same time. I'm in love, but at the same time, I'm crippled with fear. Her black lips curl up into a beautiful smile that triggers my fight or flight response. I open my mouth, but what words could I possibly say to this otherworldly perfection made flesh? Every word I could possibly speak seems inappropriate, and even though she's left me a chance to respond, I still feel like I'd be talking out of turn.

"I-I am..." I force out, my voice managing to crack from just speaking two, simple words.

"Such a shy little lamb, her legs are shaking like a newborn." She comments, her gaze slowly shifting over to Hal, who takes in a noticeable breath and holds it. "Such an innocent creature, it's no surprise she drew you in. Just looking at her makes you want to protect her from the horrors of this world." She takes a step forward, the heels of her shoes clacking against the glowing tiles on the floor.

"Avacyn..." Hal's words have a strangely warning tone to them, and I'm left absolutely floored she can speak in such a way to this women who is both the most stunning and most horrifying person I have ever seen simultaneously. I turn back to her, unable to look her in the face.

_So this is Saint Avacyn?_

"Calm yourself Hal, I only want to take a good look at the girl..." Avacyn speaks, but for some reason neither I nor Hal are anywhere near reassured by her words. "... Before we wipe her memories clean of all of this, of course."

" _What!?_ " I gasp, wriggling out of Hal's grasp to cower behind her, hands on her strong shoulders that are stiff and raised.

"I'm not going to let you do that, I already told you-"

"And I already told _you_ , Hal, we can't have anyone from the outside dealing in the wonders and the horrors of our world." Avacyn cuts her off sharply, her words slicing the air like a razor-sharp knife. "You've had your fun, you've given her a taste, but that's all we can risk. She isn't a hunter like you, Hal, she isn't prepared- for _any_ of this."

"You're the one who has said over and over again that I need to find my partner. No one you have ever presented has been good enough, I can't connect with them!" Hal argues. "I feel something with her- with _Alena!_ She's my partner, I've made my choice."

"The choice is not yours to make." Avacyn frowns, and the pale-blue light that illuminates the chamber around us suddenly glows red. The walls, the ceiling and every person standing in this room looks like they're stained in blood. "The process in choosing your partner is up to a higher power- something greater than yourself and your fickle heart. This girl is not of this world, and she never will be."

"I won't let you lay a hand on her!" Hal barks, which only succeeds in making Avacyn grow even more cross. The red light seems like it's growing more and more intense. "I brought her here to plead our case as a unit. She's the one that I want- it goes deeper than just my heart, it's not just some fickle schoolgirl crush! I want her- I _need_ her! She's mine, and I'm hers!"

God, these words of hers would be so fucking attractive right now, if it weren't for the fact it looks like Avacyn is calculating how best to carve Hal's flesh from her bones. I'd be smitten to heaven and back hearing Hal call me hers, and herself mine, if I wasn't scared out of my damn mind!

"Foolish words from a girl still learning about the world-" Avacyn practically snarls. Sister Gisela and Sister Bruna noticeably back away from her, just as terrified of her wrath as I am. I'm absolutely terrified of Avacyn, whoever and _whatever_ she is. I'm afraid of what she'll do to me, and even more afraid of what she'll do to Hal.

I'm afraid of losing her, when I've hardly gotten to truely know her.

"Wait!" The words that fly from my throat surprise even me, as every single pair of eyes becomes fixed on me. I don't know which is more intense: Hal's utter shock, or Avacyn's intense glare. For a second, my heart stops, and I'm just an upright corpse with her mouth hanging open like a shocked fish. Everyone is waiting for what I have to say next, all for different reasons. "Please... let me prove myself..."

" _Prove yourself?_ " Avacyn says back, her tone draining me of almost all my strength. However, I cling to the last of what I'm left with, and refuse to let it go.

"I don't want to forget! You're right that I have no experience, and that I'm terrified- even right now, I'm so scared I can hardly breath..." I choke back tears that are itching to be set free, leaving my vision misty and my throat sore. "But... I love Hal, I've been in love with her long before this, and to forget that I finally shared that love- you might as well just kill me while you're at it!"

"Alena, no!" Hal gasps, grabbing me by the arm and forcing me to face her. Her eyes are filled with desperation, and her lips noticeably tremble. "Don't say things like that!"

"But it's true!" I find myself yelling, even though she's standing right beside me. "I'd rather _die_ than forget about you... and all of this."

"Hmm..." Avacyn surprisingly makes a thoughtful noise, her long, white fingers tracing across her inky-black lips. "You have my attention, Miss Alena. But, I wonder, how is it you intend to prove yourself to me?"

"... There's a werewolf- and old and powerful one-"

" _Alena_!" Hal snaps, attempting to stop me.

"Ah, you're referring to the monster that slaughtered Hal's contact the other night?" Avacyn asks, sounding even more intrigued.

"I'll find it, with Hal's help, and get rid of it!" I continue.

"That's quite the challenge- personally, it was a problem I was planning on taking care of myself. But, you want to take care of the creature instead? It could be dangerous... most likely deadly." She mentions, but even though her words are ones of warning, her tone is almost like she's baiting me and reeling me in.

"No other way I can think of to prove myself to you- am I right?" A single step forward feels like I'm stepping over the edge of a cliff, pulling away and completely letting go of Hal. Even though my feet are solidly planted on the ground, it feels like I'm free-falling. "If I fail, or Hal gets hurt because of me, then you can wipe my memory."

"Alena, don't do this!" Hal begs, just as the lights that surround us shift again, from red back to the original pale blue, signifying Avacyn's shift in mood before she announces her decision. I can't take back my words now, no matter how much Hal begs me to reconsider.

"Very well, if those are your terms." Avacyn nods as she presses the tips of her fingers together down at her waist. "You have a week to rid this city of a very major threat- even more dangerous than the late Professor Ulrich. If you don't neutralize it by then, or if Hal is seriously injured while trying to make up for what you lack, this bond between the two of you will be no more."

I can hardly draw a single breath, and it feels like I'm going to faint, so all I can manage is a nod of my own. Avacyn's laughter is both a holy chorus to my ears, and sends a chill up my spine, the likes of which I've never felt before.

"Well, you two are in luck- we've received another call for help from one of Ulrich's attempted pack." She says, taking on a more official tone as she doles out our assignment. "Perhaps, this meeting will draw in your target, like it did last night."

"... Did the contact say anything. Do they know anything about this other werewolf?" Hal asks grimly.

"Unfortunately, they kept their message to us very brief." Avacyn explains. "They simply called out for our help, and said that they don't want to have to continue to kill."

* * *

Hardly a moment passes between when Hal and I finally return to the lobby above and when she grabs me by the shoulders and forces me around to face her. She heaves a furious, flustered breath that leaves her shoulders shaking, and all I can do is gasp. I'm still recovering from facing down Avacyn like I did- I'm still trying to remember what words even are, and how to properly breath.

"Alena, why did you do that!?" She asks, giving me a single shake before she pulls me close against her. Her arms hold me tightly in place as she buries her face against my neck, where I can feel her quivering breath tickle my skin. "Why... why did you agree to all that!?"

"I... I'm sorry..." I mutter. Hal holds me tight, like a desperate lover, but scolds me despite her embrace, and it leaves me feeling incredibly confused on how to sooth her. At the very least, I wrap my arms around her and gently rub her back. "It was all I could think of... I didn't want to lose you... I was desperate."

"- And stupid!" Hal chides harshly, even though her face is still nuzzled firm against me neck.

"And stupid." I cant help but agree. On top of a lot of other, very colorful emotions, I do feel pretty stupid. But, if stupid gives me a chance to prove myself to Avacyn, and also has Hal wrapping herself around me like a vine, then I'll gladly accept stupid as one of my many titles. She clings to me a few moments more as a welcome silence washes over us, and I treasure every moment.

I gaze up at the statue of Saint Avacyn, her stone face bathed in shadow, hiding her judgmental gaze. At the very least, at least it doesn't give me the creeps like it used to- now that I've met the real thing, at least.

Hal finally forces herself to pull away with a long, cleansing breath that also sounds like she's forcing tears and phlegm back onto her sinuses. Her face is scrunched up and her eyes are squeezed shut as she releases me, as if she's bracing herself for something, as she holds her breath. She's clearly thinking of how to process the next second, and considering how to move forward from here- I know, because I feel the same way, as I search for words to say that don't sound dismissive or harsh. All at once, she relaxes with a slow exhale, and I release the breath I was also holding.

For now, we're still together- partners as far as we're concerned. At least, for now, we've avoided being torn apart.

"... Should we get going?" I awkwardly ask.

"We can't keep our contact waiting all night- especially with what's also out there." Hal agreed, giving a hesitant nod. "... Are you sure... about all of this? You have to be sure, and you have to be ready, or else you're going to wind up in danger."

"I'm as ready as I can be: a big stupid lesbian who didn't bring a makeshift weapon along." I manage to make Hal chuckle slightly, as a grin tugs at her lips. I'll consider that my one, legitimate victory for the night.

"Lets see what we can find before we go, then." She says, about to lead the way back down the hall.

"Go where, huh!?"

We both stop in our tracks, and my blood runs cold. I want very desperately to just be hearing things, but Hal obviously heard it to. We look to each other, exchanging looks of worry and disbelief, before we turn around to see someone standing at the top of the stairs that reach the second floor.

"T... Thalia..." I stammer, trying to look innocent when she more than likely saw us come out of a hidden passageway in the floor, and heard our out-of-context conversation that could only succeed in sparking her curiosity.

"What's all this then, about agreements and contacts and danger, huh?" She asks as she descends, taking the stairs two at a time, her sly smile coming into clear view. "I was just about to sneak out to buy another pack of smokes, but it looks like I've found something _a lot_ more interesting!"


	4. Chapter 4

You'd think my evening wouldn't get worse than "agreeing to take out an extremely powerful werewolf in a week to keep from losing the first romantic relationship I've ever had", but now I can add the unfortunate addendum of "and also Thalia is there". As much as I do deeply treasure out friendship, there's some contexts where I find myself considering otherwise: when we're getting lectured by nuns together, nights before big tests, when all she wants to do is smoke out of my dorm room window and complain, and now I can add "late night werewolf hunting" to spice up the list.

"I can't believe it, all this time you've been living this kickass double life fighting monsters and you never told me!" She shouts, practically in my ear, as we head outside. She hangs on me, with her hands pressing down onto my shoulders and forcing me into a crouch. It's like we told her she won an all-expenses-paid vacation instead of the fact we're in the business of monitoring and hunting down extremely dangerous and deadly fantasy creatures.

"Trust me, it's a pretty new development." I sigh

"Normally, we keep what we do a secret- the world wouldn't exactly benefit from knowing that flesh eating monsters could be waiting for them right outside their door." Hal huffs, taking the lead and refusing to look back at either of us. I don't know who she's more mad at: Thalia, who pretty much strong-armed her into spilling the beans about where we were heading, or me, for the grave crime of being associated with our begrudged third party member. "So keep your voice down and reflect on how fortunate you are that I didn't just knock you out and leave you on the steps for security to find."

"Aw, don't be such a buzz-kill. You should be thankful you're getting an extra pair of hands." Thalia says in response, her hype slowly transforming into irritation.

"Save it for the werewolves who will be more than happy to use your 'extra pair of hands' to pick their teeth." Hal shoots over her shoulder threateningly. "I'm warning you, we're not out here hunting magical threats because it's a fun hobby anyone can pick up. You're putting, not just yourself, but _all_ of us in danger by hanging around."

"Whatever, I'm not some helpless baby, I can look after myself." Thalia chuckles with a self-assured attitude that I can't help but envy just a little. Having the confidence to be down for facing down a man-eating beast, that even I still shiver at the thought of, could at least get me a passing grade in public speaking.

"I certainly hope you can." Hal grumbles as we finally reach the school supply shed. Everything from gardening tools, to sports supplies, to old bibles and hymn books are stashed away inside, leaving anyone tasked with retrieving a single, specific thing to search for ages, often times coming up empty handed. There's a good reason that students are encouraged to provide their own sporting goods, and it's that this place is a mysterious void that only the most well-versed can pick through. Luckily, we aren't here for anything in particular, just anything that can be used as a weapon.

I pause from following Thalia inside, catching a look from Hal and offering up my own, apologetic one in return. The way her shoulders slump and how she heaves a slow, heavy sigh makes it clear she's upset, and is doing her best not to snap at me.

"Sorry... I didn't expect we were going to have company." I don't think I should have to apologize for something totally out of my control, but I find myself doing it anyway, since Thalia sure as hell isn't even going to feel bad about tagging along, much less have the humility enough to apologize.

"I'm sorry, too, I should have been more careful- maybe it was because I was so nervous about facing down Avacyn." Much to my surprise, her response is a lot more mild that I figured it would be, having expected to catch a hint of her annoyance. "It's not normal for the sleeping spell I use to suffer from oversight."

"I'll make sure she doesn't do anything stupid- I'm pretty much a well-seasoned Thalia handler at this point." I attempt to assure her. "With any luck, she'll be too scared to get up to anything."

"Let's hope so." Hal grumbles before we hear a loud clatter, with Thalia cursing just barely climbing over the racket. "But, we should start by making sure she doesn't screw up any of Mr. Wildspeaker's tools before we start worrying about her getting eaten by werewolves."

After what feels like an eternity of pulling Thalia away from powertools, she winds up settling on an old-looking ax that probably hasn't been used since the founding of the school, judging by all the rust and how the blade looks a few good swings away from flying clean off the handle. But, it's not a chainsaw a drill or a lawnmower (which she might as well have been very well on her way to trying to pick next) so I refrain from nitpicking. With any luck, if things go smoothly tonight, she won't even have to use it.

"What do you think, very 'huntsman a la little red riding hood' huh?" She seeks Hal's approval as we come out, her with her ax and me with a trusty, classic baseball bat. "Perfect for a late-night wolf hunt!"

"It's only going to be a 'wolf hunt' if you escalate the situation by swinging that thing around." Hal scolds, grabbing the wooden handle of the ax tight in her hand before Thalia can get off another swing, easily holding it in place. "We're meeting with an informant- someone on the inside. We only use weapons when there's a clear, tangible threat, alright? There's a lot more politics to this than just going out and slaughtering anything with teeth and claws."

"But you said-"

"I _know_ what I said: werewolves _are_ dangerous, which is why we don't go unarmed and looking for trouble." Hal cuts her off, still gripping the ax as she draws in closer, hitting Thalia with a glare so powerful it almost shines through the darkness. "The job of a hunter is a lot more diplomatic than you would think, when the monsters you're going after are sentient and have built whole entire societies right beneath our own. If you stir up shit because you tagged along for a cool monster fight, when I'm through with you, the werewolves won't even have your bones left to chew on- got it?"

"Hey, come on, chill out. Do you really think I'd be so stupid that I would-?"

" _Got it!?_ " Hal repeats herself with a lot more force, giving the ax handle one last jerk and violently jostling Thalia.

"I got it, I got it!" She finally relents, and Hal lets her go with a rough shove. I know what's coming, and the sharp, angry "bitch" she mutters under her breath afterward is unsurprising to me, and thankfully to Hal as well, who hardly reacts with more than just a quick glower over her shoulder.

"You know, for as hot as she is, your girlfriend has a real shitty attitude." She says to me as we begin to head out, not even bothering to lower her voice.

"She's just under a lot of pressure- there's a lot riding on this mission, and adding you to the mix... like she said, this was supposed to be carried out in secret. Even one person finding out about what we do could become a huge problem, let alone that person insisting on tagging along." I try to be as gentle as I can with her, trying to smooth out the tension where I can. I'm not exactly the spiritual sort, but even in normal cases, negativity has a funny way of attracting even more negativity, and that's the last thing a meeting with a werewolf needs.

"Pressure? She seems pretty well-seasoned to me, what's she have to worry about?" Thalia asks with a snort.

"The future of our relationship is riding on this, Thalia." I admit. "You haven't exactly dropped in at the most ideal time, alright? If we fail, in any way, that's it- goodbye secret monster-hunting double life, goodbye memories, goodbye romance."

"Y-you never said that in the beginning!"

"Sorry if I was a little too freaked out by you randomly showing up to remember to drop every detail." I say with a sigh. "I feel like a parent telling you this, and knowing you it's probably asking a lot, but I need you to be on your best behavior."

"Fine, if it's for the sake of your relationship, I'll keep a low profile- but only because I like you." Thalia smirks, giving me a quick pat on the head. "I have to wonder, though, why is it on the line in the first place?"

"Oh, that. Well..." I struggle to come up with something that isn't going to take several minutes to explain. "Let's just say her boss isn't the biggest fan of me."

* * *

Our long, winding journey through the dark, sleepy streets of the city bring us to an old church building, its old, Gothic architecture standing out between the modern, towering buildings it's helplessly squeezed between. The city is full of these: old buildings from a different era, slowly being dwarfed by the passing of time as modernity takes hold of even this, the capitol of absolutely nowhere special. This little relic in particular has plenty of iconography built on and around the structure, a lot of it featuring the ever-so-beloved Saint Avacyn, whose normally angelic appearance just make me feel like I'm being watched.

I don't know the scope of what she is and what she can do, for all I know she can probably see me through those sculpted and stained-glass eyes.

One of the massive wooden doors has been pointedly left ajar, as if to welcome us in, letting us know we've been expected. We make it to the very top of the steps leading to the entrance before Hal turns to the both of us, lips pressed into a hard, serious line.

"No acting up, alright?" She says, eyeing Thalia specifically. For once, out of the three of us, I oddly feel like the third wheel here, though I hardly mind in this case. "Don't do anything unless they attack first."

"And if they tell us to give them the money, we give them the whole till- I got it." Thalia sarcastically responds with a roll of her eyes. "Worry about yourself a little more, I'll be fine."

"Hmph... you'd better be." Hal mutters, although her tone has noticeably softened as she turns back towards the door and pushes it all the way open, our arrival announced by a deep, powerful creek that reverberates deep in my chest.

In the darkness of the unlit building, my eyes immediately adjust, hardly a second passing between being bathed in darkness and being able to see everything: the rows and rows of seats, the columns built between them painted with murals depicting some person's idea of what heaven probably looked like, with the pulpit standing proud before a large, stained-glass window, as well as the person waiting for us inside.

No... _people_.

I quickly push Thalia back before reaching out to take Hal's wrist, stopping them both. We came here to meet one person, or so the plans had seemed, but there, lurking in the darkness, are four strangers, eyeing us like trespassers. I feel them before I can see them, giving off an aura so tense it forces me to grow stiff. It isn't murderous, there isn't a drop of bloodlust hanging in the air, but we obviously aren't a welcome sight.

"Wait just a fucking second, who the hell are you?" I ask before either Thalia or Hal can open their mouths.

"I think the better question is who the hell are _you?_ " One of the figures, a man who is both taller and bulkier than the other three, growls.

"We're representatives of Saint Avacyn, you don't need to know more than that." Hal answers cooly, taking a bold step forward and shaking her wrist out of my grip. "And, by the looks of it, there's a lot more of you here than we were told there would be. What's with the entourage?"

"Do you really think we would be so stupid to come and meet you alone, especially after what you did you Mattheaus?" A second person, this time a slim woman in her twenties with long black hair and sharp-looking eyes, spits venomously. "You really think we'll just deliver ourselves to you, one by one, when you call us, after you slaughtered the fuck out of our packmate?"

"Hold on, what do you mean when _we_ call _you?_ Your packmate got in touch with _us_ , and we were told that one of you did the same. We didn't call this meeting." Hal snarls. "We weren't the one's who killed him, he was already dead when we arrived."

"Likely story." The third, another man with dark skin and thick dreads pulled back and tied behind his head, says. "Is this how Avacyn's little minions behave these days: just picking us off, like we're feral animals? I always had a suspicion there was something corrupt about you hunters, but now it's clear that the very core of your organization is rotten."

"I'm telling you the truth, we weren't the ones who called your packmate, and we definitely weren't the ones who killed him!" Hal snapped. "Don't you dare leave me no other choice than to defend my honor physically."

"It definitely looks like a 'them attacking first' kind of scenario, guys..." Thalia mutters under her breath, raising her ax slightly.

"Well, if you didn't call us here, and we didn't call you here, then who exactly did, then, huh?" The fourth and final member, another woman who's clearly the oldest out of the four, looking somewhere in her 40's and dressed like a business woman, asks furiously. "Someone here is lying, and no one is leaving this place until we find out who it is!"

Hardly the span of a breath passes before the beautifully-crafted stained glass window behind her shatters, raining thousands of multi-colored shards down upon her. She opens her mouth to cry out as she shields herself, but not even the loudest of noises would have a chance to climb over both the shriek of the obliterated window and the bone-chilling roar that accompanies it. She hasn't noticed what now lurks in the massive, splintered hole in what was once a beautifully crafted stained-glass image of Saint Avacyn, but the rest of us do, as we gawk in open-mouthed terror, too caught off guard to scream.

A werewolf, much more lean than Professor Ulrich had been, but still as intimidatingly huge, heaves itself through the newly-created opening, both its blood-red eyes and pearly white fangs piercing through the darkness. It snarls, a thick trail of vapor rising from its muzzle, as it sets its sights on the woman still not completely recoiled like the rest of us, with her back still to the creature. Her friends, meanwhile, do nothing to warn her, and I feel one of them roughly push passed me as the three of them flee, willingly casting away their pride in exchange for getting the fuck out of here before the scene grows violent. But, I can't look away, no matter how much the muscles in my legs tense up, begging for me to turn around and follow suit. I'm paralyzed as I watch the gruesome scene unfold.

The woman manages to get a single, split-second look of the monster before it descends, its powerful hands grabbing her by the shoulders in a grip that is painful just to look at. Claws rip into clothes like they were nothing, as well as skin and the meat below, hooking into her and ensuring that she won't even have a sliver of a chance of struggling out of its grasp to follow after her packmates. A single, terrified scream that shakes me to my core escapes her as she looks up into the werewolf's wide-open mouth. I've been there, I know what its like to have your vision filled with nothing but teeth and the deep, black abyss at the back of the throat- it's like staring into the pits of hell. Unfortunately for her, it turns out to be the last thing she sees as the creature chomps down, the force of the bite easily separating head from body, ripping through flesh and muscle and snapping into bone. There's no more screaming, no more crashing of glass, just the sound of the beast making a satisfied grunting noise as it yanks the woman's head from off her shoulders, the last shreds of bloody sinew and skin snapping free. My stomach gurgles, the desire to vomit rising, but I'm also, somehow, much too afraid to do even that.

"Alena! We have to go!" I hear Hal urge, but her voice sounds so far away, and as disgusting as the scene still playing out before us is, I can't turn to look at her. In the end, she has to spin me around herself, grabbing my shoulder with such force that I'm certain it will leave some kind of mark. "Come on!"

"Yeah, about that!" Thalia cries, and I spy her struggling to pull the now-closed church doors open again. More than likely, the other three had slammed them shut as they left, and knowing our luck, they had also found a way to lock us in to give themselves more time to escape while the mysterious, terrifying werewolf has its way with us as well. It's survival of the fittest, I suppose, or in this case, survival of who is willing to be the bigger dick to a group of total strangers first.

"Shit!" Hal snaps as she hurries in joining her, the both of them still not being enough to wrench the huge, wooden door open. "Earth to Alena, we could really use your help now, too!"

I'm shocked into action, pulled from my fearful paralysis, even as I still hear the monster at my back wolfing down her snappily-dressed midnight snack. The sound of teeth sinking into bloody hunks of flesh fills my ears as I run for the door, joining the other two in pulling. My hands are uselessly drenched in sweat, and I can't get a good grip on the handle. Sad, that I can knock someone out cold with a volleyball with pin-point precision, but I can't make a door budge.

"Help! Somebody help us!" Thalia is the first one out of all of us to resort to desperately crying out for help, like anybody walking down the streets this late at night would be down to answer her horrified calls. "Please, somebody! Help!"

Passed Thalia's screams, there's something else I notice that sends a cold shiver down my spine: the disgusting noise of the werewolf eating its fresh kill no longer echoes through the dark halls of the church. Despite every instinct screaming at me not to, I force myself to turn around, so scared I can hardly even breath. For a moment, it's as if all sound fades into nothingness as I meet the crimson gaze of the monster, its muzzle soaked and dripping with blood. We lock eyes and immediately I know meal time is over, but it's more than ready for seconds, thirds and fourths, and we've all neatly clumped ourselves conveniently right in the same spot.

It steps over what remains of the woman's corpse, now nothing more than an unrecognizable slab of torn-apart, disgusting mush. I can just barely make out what might have been body parts at one point- legs, hands, a finger or two- but for the most part, it looks like the end goal, aside from eating the tastiest, juiciest cuts of meat, was to mutilate the remains beyond recognition.

If this door doesn't open soon, we're going to wind up leaving here in body bags.

"Ugh! Damnit!" Hal curses as she wrenches herself away from the door, frustration now mingling with her fear as she pulls out her trusty pistol that had so easily taken down Professor Ulrich before. There's a glimmer of hope, but its quickly quelled by the uncertain look in her eyes as she steps away from the door and aims. A single shot had taken down a werewolf before, but her grip and her stance are far from being as confident as it had been that night that feels years away at this point.

She makes two shots, rapid fire, and I look over my shoulder with a gasp as my ears ring, glancing back just in time to see the beast shrug out of the way as it starts to charge. Hal draws further away from us still working on the unrelenting door, as she takes another shot- another miss as the werewolf flashes its teeth. Is it snarling, or is it grinning over watching us try and fail to escape and fight back?

"Hal!" I cry out as the werewolf pushes passed the pews, using its supernatural strength to fling the seats into the air and far out of its path. Hal, in a move that is both impressively brave and infuriatingly stupid, doesn't budge as she takes another shot, this one grazing the creature's cheek, which only enrages it more as it doubles its speed. There's no time to convince her to stop, or beg her to get out of the way- all that remains is time for action as I, too, give up on trying to open the door and abandon Thalia.

The werewolf is practically bearing down on her now, so close that I can see every last, little hair that covers its body, and even more so as I leap right in its path. I wrap my arm around Hal's waist, half roughly pushing her and half harshly pulling her along with me, not caring if it winds up hurting her- any bruise or scratch, or even a cracked rib, is a much better outcome than having her reduced to a bloody, discarded hunk of flesh. I hear her gasp in pain and surprise as she takes one, final shot that whizzes high above the monster's head, an absolute waste of a silver bullet. The two of us ungracefully fall to the ground, out of the reach of the claws and teeth that nearly rip and tore her to shreds, and collide with one of the pews in the far-back row. For a second, I'm overcome with pain, but that quickly passes and is replaced with worry so intense that it's become anger.

"Are you stupid!? You could have gotten killed!" I snap, positioned over Hal who looks up at me with one eye squeezed shut as she moans and flinches in pain. But, thankfully, I catch a glimpse of thankfulness in her one open eye- as well as the reflection of the threat still very much locked inside of the church with us. Unfortunately, there isn't much time for discussion.

The both of us shift our attention to the creature, looking back at us furiously and crouched over what it had hoped had been its second coarse but is now nothing but chunks of the destroyed seating that it left in its hungry charge. Snapping and gashing its teeth as it growls and bristles, the thing stands slowly to its full height, making sure to look good and threatening before it prepares to pounce again.

However, something quickly catches its attention, as its glowing, red eyes swerve from us and over to the door, where Thalia remains, now desperately hacking away at the door with her ax- a smart next step, but probably a decision made too late with the monster a mere little hop away from being able to scoop her up into its jaws. She more than clearly knows this, her cries with each swing sounding terrified and tearful, and her swings quickly growing sporadic and clumsy in her panic. The creature's shoulders shake, like it's chuckling to itself, as it slowly turns to her.

_No!_

"Thalia!"

A righteous anger blooms suddenly in my stomach, quickly spreading out to my limbs and filling me to the point of feeling like I'm bursting. Before I know it, I've left Hal's side, sprinting at a pace so incredible my own eyes, along with my other senses, can't even keep up. I pick up my bat that I had discarded long before, tightening my grip so hard on the rough handle that it hurts. The werewolf doesn't notice me, or maybe it doesn't have a chance, like I don't have a chance to second guess myself and wonder if this is really the smartest idea. Just like in gym, I leap higher than a regular person should be able to, adrenaline pumping through my system and enhancing every passing second.

For one of those split, highly defined seconds, me and the horrible werewolf lock eyes, and for once I feel no fear, even if it is for nothing but a moment.

The hollow, metal ring of the bat meeting the creatures skull makes even me flinch as it staggers away, a shrill, high-pitched whine of surprise escaping it. It covers its head defensively as I fall back to the floor, and I restrain myself from being as impressed as I naturally want to be as I land on my feet back on solid ground. The discomfort and shame I had over these powers I unwillingly came into are gone, replaced by a feeling I can't quite explain in a single, eloquent word- something like love, mixed with the desire to protect- as I rush to Thalia's side, standing between her and the monster still reeling from my assault.

"Holy _shit_ , Alena, what was-!?" Thalia begins to gasp.

"Shut up and keep swinging!" I command, choking up on my bat. "If we get out of here alive, I'll explain everything!"

The sound of the werewolf's infuriated roar overpowers my words and pulls my attention back to the threat that is now very pissed off, and specifically at me. A fresh trail of blood flows from right above its right eye, dirtying its already filthy fur, its own lifeforce mingling with that of its last kill that covers its face. Teeth bared in rage, the creature lumbers towards us, and I can hear Hal call out, but I have no idea what she's saying. Maybe it's that what I'm doing is stupid- and, hell, it probably is. Supernatural strength or not, I'm still a human facing down a monster several times my size with a craving for anything with a pulse. I might get one of two good swings in before my enhanced senses allow me to feel every last little tear and puncture when me and my bat are inevitably outclassed in combat.

God, I am both the bravest and stupidest motherfucker alive- and that last bit may be subject to change here in a second.

The beast stops, mere feet away from me, so close I could probably take a swing and bash it right in the snout. I can see my reflection in its eyes now, looking back at me wide eyed and full of terrified determination. There's so little distance between us that I can feel the hot breath puffing out from its flared-out nostrils. I don't know how to feel about this, whether I should be strong or give in to the pants-shitting fear that lingers at the edges of my mind that's getting harder and harder to ignore, but it seems like I've engaged in a staring contest with a creature that could tear off one or more of my limbs in the space of a single blink.

Why isn't it attacking- why am _I_ not attacking for that matter!? Why has this wild predation party suddenly pulled a hard 180 and turned into the most tense stare-off of my entire life? Along with refusing to blink, I find myself holding my breath as I feel every bead of sweat as it rolls down from my forehead.

The werewolf's eyes narrow, and I see my boring, uneventful life (up until this point anyway) flash before my eyes, and feel my knees buckle from fright. However, instead, with a conflicted-sounding huff, the beast shakes its head with its teeth painfully bared, as if fighting against a force I can't see. It takes several, ungraceful steps back, nearly tripping over its own tail as it grips its head. For a moment, as silence falls, we lock eyes again. For a moment, its glowing, crimson gaze seems almost... _human_ \- a half-second away from seeming familiar, even. I feel like I've seen those eyes before, in a completely different context.

Unfortunately, before I can reach an epiphany, the creature shrugs away with an agonized gurgle, turning its tail and fleeing from me, which would have felt incredible if I wasn't so confused. It's an amazing victory, but one I don't feel like I earned. I watch as the once terrifying werewolf runs away, bounding out of the hole it made in the window and vanishing from sight. Even though it's gone, I still hold my breath and clutch my bat, waiting for this all to be one, big fake-out.

"... _Holy shit_..." Thalia heaves her words through a sigh that makes me feel exhausted. My shoulders slump and I finally draw in breath, my eyes that had stared down what could have been my gruesome, bloody demise watering as I close them. I'm not some hero come to save my friend anymore, just a scared human girl. Luckily though, this scared human girl came along on this meet-up from hell with her girlfriend, and Hal is there to wrap me in her arms before my legs give out from under me.

"Are you alright!? You could have gotten hurt, what is wrong with you!?" She worries over me and scolds me in the same breath, pulling me close. I don't know how to answer, and frankly I don't think I remember how to form coherent sentences as I wrap my arms around her as well, embracing her back as I finally let my bat go. A single, shaky sob wavers from my lips as I bury my face into the space between her neck and shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine, too, in case you were curious!" Thalia pipes up, her voice cracking through her very clear and obvious annoyance. "Nothing like a quick brush with death in a fucking church, a girl could get used to this!"

"You're the one who forced your way into coming along, if I remember correctly." Hal shoots back, her words contrasting with her actions as she rubs my back. "So I hope you got what you came for."

Thalia, for once, doesn't have a comeback ready, and I can see, from over Hal's shoulder, that she's not taking the fact she couldn't come up with the last word very well. With a sharp frown, she goes back to hacking away at the door, clearly taking her frustration out on the wood, as Hal and I separate and look at the destruction and death that the werewolf had left in its wake. I pointedly keep from lingering on the sight of the mutilated corpse as I struggle to find words. What could I possibly say in this situation, after we've gotten nothing out of our first night but fear? It feels like we didn't even get a chance to take a single step forward before we took multiple steps back.

"This isn't over, we still have time." Hal finally speaks up, as if reading my mind. "We'll double our efforts tomorrow."

"And triple our efforts the day after that." I add, forcing a smile.

"That's my girl." Hal says warmly as she presses the slightest of kisses against my forehead. "But, for now, let's focus our efforts in helping Thalia with that door- the sooner we can get the fuck out of here, the better."

She looks over at the remains of the woman, her comforting smile drooping ever-so-slightly into a frown. Maybe it wasn't a look I was meant to see, but I catch it, and commit it to memory. Hal is worried, just like me, and after a single night of facing down our target for the first time, the possibility the we might actually fail creeps in with a chilling cruelty.

* * *

I've never been so happy to pass through the gates of the school, at least since the last time I was almost eaten alive by a werewolf. For once, these bars that normally feel like that of a cage, have a protective feeling to them, as I stare out through them back at the dark city streets. Maybe its just the passing wind, but I swear I can hear a distant howl, and I want nothing more than to flee back into my dorm room and hide beneath my sheets.

"You two can drop your things off at the shed by yourselves, I need to report what happened tonight- _unfortunately_..." Hal sighs before drawing close and slipping something into my jacket pocket once Thalia's back is turned.

"Wha-"

"Slip this into a drink and make sure Thalia takes it before you go to bed." She whispers into my ear. "It the same thing I slipped her the last time- she'll forget all of this while she dreams."

"Ah, right." For a second there, I was so caught up in the sheer terror of getting torn to bits, I forgot that Thalia was an unwelcome guest in all this. I reach into my pocket, my fingers grazing over the smooth surface of a small capsule, no bigger than any other, normal pill. A feeling of discomfort, as well as a crushing sense of guilt, washes over me. Wiping people's memories is probably all apart of the job to Hal, but this is certainly yet another first in a long, bizarre line of fresh experiences for me. I grip the thing between my fingers and give a slight nod.

"I don't think I'll be able to stop by before you pass out for the night, so I'll just say goodnight here." She adds before placing her hands on my shoulders and leaning in close, planting a kiss against my lips. I wish it lasted longer- I wish she could hold me and kiss all of my worries away- but, much to my dissatisfaction, this isn't the time or place to make out, as made evident by Thalia calling out and filling the silence with an annoyed groan.

"Swap spit some other time, love birds!"

"Looks like we have an impatient audience." I force a chuckle, distracting Hal from the sharp comment she was more than likely about to make as she eyes Thalia with an annoyed glare. I reach out, tracing my fingers down her cheek and drawing out a more relaxed look as she focuses back on me. "I guess we'll just have to continue this tomorrow."

"I guess so..." She sighs, her lips cocking back into a smile, taking my hands and giving them one last, final squeeze before separating entirely. "Get some sleep- you're going to need it."

"You, too!" I say, and she responds with a slight chuckle and a shrug of her shoulders as she shoves her hands into her pockets and heads out, leaving me alone with Thalia, as well as if the final task that I still have at hand that sits in my pocket, tinier than a fingernail, but feeling as if it weighs as much as a brick of lead.

"Guess I don't get to keep the ax as a keepsake, huh?" Thalia jokes as the two of us head off to the shed by ourselves. I weakly laugh, but hardly feel like I can offer up more than that. I'm exhausted, overcome with worry and fear, and now it's up to me to wipe my best friend's memory of what we saw tonight.

The fact I have to do this is suffocating, despite how troublesome it had been to have to drag her along in the first place. The thought I'm going to have to keep this night, and every other night after this, to myself, no matter how terrifying or scaring, makes me feel incredibly lonely, even with Thalia still by my side. Of course I have Hal, but what about the nights where I'm alone, in my half empty dorm room, with nothing but my thoughts? There will be times where I'll be completely and utterly alone, feeling like I'm being buried alive by my own secrets that are undoubtedly going to pile up. The worst part is that it's supposed to be this way, I'm supposed to feel like this by design- or, at least, that's how it feels. My first step towards living a life of secrecy I can only share with one other person is resting right inside my jacket pocket.

"Hey, just so you know, you don't need to worry about me shoving my nose where it's not wanted after tonight. Unless you really need me to put my ass on the line again- and I mean really need me- I'm steering clear of this whole magical monster-hunting business you two have going on." Thalia suddenly speaks up. "Looking death in the face once is enough for me, thanks- I'll be perfectly happy with hearing about your exploits after the fact."

"... You just need to promise not to tell anyone- I mean it, Thalia, nobody can know about this, not even Sigarda." I say, despite a better part of my conscious telling me not to take this route. I should do as Hal says, the last thing I want to do is piss off my girlfriend and jeopardize our relationship. I should... but even as someone who can leap like a dozen feet in the air and stare down a man-eating monster, there are some things I still can't do. "You need to _swear!_ "

"Hey, I promise. Scouts honor and all that!" Thalia responds with a reassuring smile. "We've all got our secrets, I'm not so stupid as to spread yours around- you're one of the few people in this prison of a school who I respect, after all. Now if you were, say, Liliana, then I might have looser lips, but-"

Before she can finish, I fish he capsule from out of my pocket and chuck it as hard as I can, catching it's arc through the air before it vanishes in a cluster of rose bushes. For the first time in this entire, horrible night, I actually feel satisfied about something.

"What the hell was that?" Thalia asks, looking between me and whatever I had just thrown in the most unsubtle way.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." I weakly assure her. "Now let's put this stuff away before-"

My breath catches in my throat as I hear a footstep that don't belong to either of us press against the wet grass, making a deep thud that mimics how hard my heart begins to beat. I catch movement out of the corner of my eye just beyond one of the thicker rose bushes, and I can immediately tell by the sheer bulk of it that it isn't Hal. Before I can continue, and before Thalia can say a word, I throw a hand over her mouth and yank her around a nearby corner. Her muffled voice vibrates against my palm, and I press a finger against my lips, my intense frown and harsh glare taking the wordless "be quiet" and turning into more of a "shut the fuck up".

Holding my breath, I carefully peer around the corner, back pressed hard against the wall. Fearing that my heart pounding against my chest is actually making as much noise as I think it is, I catch sight of the figure again: a massive, bulky shadow heading in the direction of the shed. It certainly couldn't be one of the nuns, who should all still be knocked out cold if experience with Hal's spells serves, and last I heard, bears don't live in the area... But, if the last few days have taught me anything, it's that big, scary things stalking through the night aren't just limited to normal wildlife.

I squint my eyes, forcing my way past my fear to try and focus. The shadow becomes a more familiar shape as they wander more clearly into view, but despite the fact I have my answer about what exactly is out here with us, it doesn't get rid of my worries: Mr. Wildspeaker is walking through the garden by himself, in the middle of the night... Or is he limping? That clearly isn't his usual, lumbering gait.

A mildly pained groan can be heard as he reaches up and holds his head, stopping mid-step to inspect something. As he pulls his hand away, I notice his entire right side of his face is covered in blood that pours from a wound right above his right eye. My stomach sinks from dread as he turns around, looking for anyone who might be spying on him and, thankfully, totally missing the two people who actually are. However, as he spins, I also catch another bleeding wound, this one right across his opposite cheek.

I remember the bullet that had narrowly whizzed passed the charging werewolf's head, and I definitely remember bashing the thing right above its eye. I remember, and a chill so intense it hurts runs through me as I push Thalia back along the wall, away from the shed and away from Mr. Wildspeaker.

Looks like Thalia gets to keep her ax, after all, at least for tonight, anyway. We have more things to worry about than putting old school property back where it belongs- bigger, harrier, more beastly things.


	5. Chapter 5

For some, weekends are the only real taste of freedom one can experience at St. Avacyn's- even if it is just for a few hours. "Open campus" is like a sacred, holy word to most of the girls here, even more so than any verse out of the bible, and even when the threat of potential, violent disemboweling hang at its heaviest over the school, girls still embraced the one shred of escape they had and escaped out into the city streets every Saturday. A chance to exist in a place where nuns aren't watching around every corner, ready to swoop in whenever you so much as breath in a unwholesome way, is more precious than gold, and no amount of possible danger is too great to escape the claustrophobic halls and the cramped dorms.

I have my own, unremarkable weekend rituals of course, if Thalia doesn't drag me away on whatever escapade has caught her fancy the week before, that is. But, with Sigarda becoming a near constant presence on her arm, they spare me the agony of having to be their awkward third wheel in their quest to make out in every square inch of the city of Innistrad. This would normally free up all of my time to study, and enjoy the dormitory almost all to myself, but after what I saw last night, the idea of getting as far away from the school grounds as I possibly can, at every opportunity, is a welcome one to my normally homebody ass. Thank god, then, for Hal, and the fact we have to fill every spare second of our days for the next week doing just that. Speaking of which...

"I think Mr. Wildspeaker is the werewolf we're looking for!" I blurt out the second we round the corner, out of sight of the school entirely. My words nervously blend together, having become a chaotic storm brewing in my chest overnight, hiding under my bed sheets, waiting nervously for dawn. I hardly slept at all, both the fear and heart-pounding adrenaline keeping me awake. I had been aware of every creek outside my door, and every noise that sounded vaguely like a footstep. I practically leaped into Hal's arms when she arrived at my door.

" _Excuse me?_ " Hal asks, her words a half chuckle, like she's not sure if I'm telling her this in an attempt to make a joke. "Look, I know he's not exactly the most pleasant person, but we can't just start pointing fingers at every brute and barbarian-"

"But I saw him last night! He was walking around the school grounds when we got back, and he had the same injuries that werewolf had!" I insist, balling my hands into fists in frustration. My lack of sleep is putting me on edge, making it easier to snap at even the slightest thing, even if that 'thing' is Hal, who frowns in dissatisfaction, despite my damning evidence I just presented.

"What about his smell? What sort of intent did he give off?" She grills me in a harsh, critical tone, and folds her arms. "You have the ability to sense these things, Alena, for better or for worse- so, _did_ you?"

O-oh, well..." I buckle slightly under the weight of her stare. "I might have... forgotten to- I was so caught off guard, it didn't occur to me, but-"

"Unless we have definitive proof that it's Mr. Wildspeaker, we can't risk confronting him. We'll risk divulging secrets to someone completely unrelated to us, and after the disaster that happened last night, that's not one I'm willing to take a second time- especially with Avacyn watching us so closely." Hal's words are rigid, and make me feel like I'm back at school, being lectured by one of the nuns. I want to argue, but I can't, and swallow my frustrations with a stifled grumble- something she catches on to, and noticeably softens with a sigh. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be such a bitch, but after what happened last night I've just been... on edge. We should keep Mr. Wildspeaker's strange activity in mind, but we should still be as careful as we can, understand?"

"Yeah, I get it." I shrug, unable to shake off all of my disappointment as we continue on. "Where are we going, anyway? W-we aren't going back to that church again, are we?"

"With that place probably swarming with cops? Absolutely not- frankly I saw all we needed to see and stomach there, and I'm in zero hurry to go running back. Today, we're going to see a friend..." She pauses, looking like she just sucked on a lemon, before shaking her head in what can only be described as disgust. "Scratch that, not a friend, more of a bastard actually, but a bastard who might actually have information we need."

"Why do I get the feeling a lot of people in your inner circle are a bunch of useful bastards?" I remark, to which Hal merely chuckles at, not confirming or denying my suspicions as she leads us on.

* * *

I'm expecting a lot of things, after all, following after Hal has a history of leading to a wide range of places- churches, abandoned factories, hidden basements below the school inhabited by strange, immortal women- but I have to admit, it's a little bit of an anti-climax when our short trip into the city leads us to a convenience store attached to one of the office buildings that tower over us more and more the further we've gone. At first, I chalk this up to being a simple pit-stop, but things become immediately clear, as we enter, that I should curb my expectations of grandeur and that, for every outlandish location, Hal's world also has it's roots in the painfully mundane.

Unsurprisingly, the only people inside are employees, with nobody stopping in for coffee, donuts or cigarettes so far from the morning rush but nowhere close to lunch. The mood of the entire place changes in an instant, as if someone flipped a switch somewhere, as the few lingering workers spring into action, turning off the "open" sign outside, locking the door, and filling quickly into the back room, leaving us only with the man behind the counter, who looks at us like he's weighing his options of either complying or defending himself.

Men as a whole aren't on my radar in the slightest, but even I can point out good looks when I see them. The man is a strange contrast, with a face of a model, the body of an action movie star, all wrapped up in the garb of a common, tired retail worker. His eyes are sharp, bearing an unmistakable gleam that makes them sparkle even under the weak glow of the store lighting, and his black, short hair is perfectly tussled. He doesn't say a word until we reach the counter, hardly even looking like he's breathing as he follows Hal's every movement without even the slightest turn of his head. For a moment, there is silence, but the kind that precedes an earthquake or some other horrible disaster.

"Hal." His voice is smooth, almost melodic, even when speaking a single word. Her name on his lips sounds amazing, but she remains stone-cold unmoved.

"Oko." She responds icily, meeting his unrelenting stare with her own.

"Who's the new chick?" He asks, his gaze settling on me for just a second, but it's enough to steal my breath and put me on even more spine-tingling edge.

"None of your business." Hal deflects.

"U-um... you two know each other?" I nervously say, feeling the need to fill the air with something that doesn't add to the crushing tension.

"Unfortunately." Hal grumbles. "Don't let your guard down- he only _looks_ human."

"Don't you think it's about time you pulled that stick out of your ass? I haven't gotten up to anything in years, you and your people know that." Oko grumbles. "I can't even cast a spell to manage our stock here without one of your hunters coming in like I'm going to commit a murder with a bunch of bags of stale chips."

"Kind of a little hard to forget that you turned several important politicians into swans." Hal says with a snarl.

"And the world would have been better off if they had stayed that way, but then I remember that you stuck-up pricks hate fun."

"I also hope you remember that us 'stuck-up pricks' let you live, after your fun little stunt threatened national security."

"Oh, so..." I speak up again, having been wanting to throughout their entire conversation, but hardly having time to take a breath between their bickering. "Is Oko like... a fairy?"

"Hey, _hey!_ You keep that word out of your mouth, I'm not going to take some random human girl hurling around slurs in my store. You either call us 'fae', or I'll have your mouth flutter off your face like a moth, and you'll call us nothing at all." The full force of Oko's irritation is focused solely on me, and I instinctively press my hand against my lips, both to silence myself and to make sure they aren't, in fact, flying right off like he said. "Also don't they teach you at that little nun factory you kids go to not to speak about people like they aren't right in front of you?"

"Chill out, Oko, she's new- I'm sure she didn't mean to be rude... right?" Hal turns to me, her hand now planted on my shoulder and I give a quick, but hearty nod, with my hands still over my mouth. "We didn't come here to start a fight, anyway, so I'd appreciate a little civility."

"Could have fooled me." Oko says with a roll of his eyes, crossing his arms impatiently. "So, if you're not here for the usual, routine harassment, why _are_ you here? Make it quick, I can't keep this place closed for very long like this."

"I want to know if you've noticed any strange activity, specifically from local werewolves. I know you keep tabs on other magic folk who might cause you and your business trouble, so you're the perfect person to ask." Hal admits.

"Ah so you've heard about the string of murders, then? And here I thought the pigs in this town were being careful to cover those things up, especially so the precious little brats at St. Avacyn's factory for sheep wouldn't hear about them." Oko cocks and eyebrow and smirks. "I was honestly starting to assume _you_ were the one carrying those out."

"Hunters are tasked with protecting everyone in their jurisdiction, even creatures like werewolves- I'm not in the business of murder." Hal growls, taking very real offense to his comment. "And, what, two deaths is hardly what I'd call a string."

I recall the person who we had been too late to even find alive, and the women who we watched getting eaten alive, and shiver, like the temperature in the store has drastically dropped several degrees. I don't want to seem like the very mention of them effects me, but I'm sure it shows on my face before I have a chance to catch myself.

" _Two?_ Heh, I bet the cops wish there had been just two." Oko laughs. "Try almost a dozen- all of them werewolves, no human or other magical creature to speak of. Not that I'm complaining about some mysterious killer getting out there and getting rid of a handful of mangy, yapping strays."

"Almost a dozen... But, why didn't Avacyn..." Hal mutters under her breath. "Wh-what about yesterday night? You didn't happen to notice anything?"

"Notice anything? Phht, it would have been real hard to miss those punks tripping through those doors minutes before closing time with their tails between their legs- two guys and a chick. They begged me to hide them in the back room, but I showed them out the front door instead- don't want dirty dog smell all over the merchandise." Oko recalls with an annoyed groan. "Quite presumptuous of them that I'd be so hospitable when they police their own territory so barbarically."

"You know them?" Hal pries.

"I know _of_ them, I'd rather eat my own hands than actually know them personally- they're a newly formed pack of stupid pups who think they run this city, who pick pointless fights and act like tough shit. One of them must own The Silver Moon Pub, some dump nearby that needs to be shut down already, since they don't let anyone but their own kind in." Oko continues. "Why? Was one of their members the latest casualty? I sure as fuck hope so, one less of their furry little gang for me to worry about."

My stomach turns as Oko gleefully talks about someone's murder like it's some kind of good news. I want to say something, as a righteous fury builds in my chest along with the words. The people we had met the night before weren't just a bunch of brutes looking for a fight- they had been afraid. However, before I have a chance to really lay my grievances on thick, or even at all, Hal squeezes my hand and cuts me off.

"That will do for now, you can cool it on whatever anti-werewolf manifesto you're well on your say from launching into." She says. "We'll call on you if we need you again for anything, since you've been so helpful so far."

"Please don't." Oko frowns as one of the other employees emerges from the back room to turn the "open" sign back on and unlock the door. This time, however, I at least manage to catch a glimpse of their face, and see something almost completely human, but not quite. There's something just barely off about them that leaves me unsettled, with eyes just a little too large and cheek bones a little too high and sharp. They're small things you wouldn't notice at a glance, but a good, hard look makes me feel oddly disoriented.

"Let's go." I hear Hal say as she pulls me out of the store and back out onto the street. A part of me wants to take a second look, but it's a part that's drowned out by the desire to get away as soon as humanly possible. I cast a slight glance over my shoulder, but not enough to actually catch anything of note before Hal's voice demands my focus.

"Some fae are better at taking human shape than others- it's rude to stare."

"O-oh, right, sorry..." I sigh as we begin to walk back the way we came. "So, does this mean we're-"

"Paying a visit to The Silver Moon Pub later tonight- for now, our work is done." Hal finishes my sentence, much to my worries that are drowning me from the inside out.

"I figured..." I sigh, unable to keep myself from sounding apprehensive. "So, should we go back to the dorms, then? If we're going to wind up getting into bar fights with werewolves, I'd rather be well rested for it."

"Actually, I was thinking..." Hal says, a hopeful tone in her voice that catches my attention. "Since we're already out, maybe we could have ourselves a little date. Just because we're caught up in this werewolf business doesn't mean I can't take some time out of my day to remember you're, y'know, my girlfriend."

"O-oh! I... I'd-" I begin to say, feeling my cheeks grow warm.

"Ah! Miss Hal, Miss Alena!" A familiar voice calls out, interrupting me, and most unfortunately forcing Hal to let go of my hand.

I look up in surprise, immediately spying Sister Gisela and Sister Bruna, oddly enough dressed in street clothes, with Sister Gisela wearing a white top and red trousers, and Sister Bruna wearing a blue dress that drifts just below her knees, paired with a light-grey sweater. You wouldn't think that these two gorgeous, fashionable women were nuns- which, _yeah, they are_ , so what are they doing out here dressed like this!? Hal hardly reacts, but I can't help but gawk.

"Fancy meeting you two here, are you out here doing something for school?" Sister Bruna asks with a slight, innocent tilt of her head, a lock of her silky, black hair falling over her shoulder.

"You _know_ that's not what we're doing." Hal says with a sharp frown, contrasting harshly against Sister Bruna's warmth, who's smile buckles from nervousness.

"What are you two doing here?" I force myself between them, not really in any hurry to get into a squabble with a couple of women who we see on a regular basis. "Are you... on a date?" The question slips out before I even think about the words and what they mean, so it's really no big, fat surprise that both women slip into laughter, to the point where Sister Gisela is holding her damn sides.

"Nothing like that, I'm afraid." Sister Gisela chuckles. "We were just out, checking on Sister Arlinn. She's not feeling well, so we figured we'd pay her a visit."

"You mean she doesn't live at the convent?" I ask, keeping to myself that it makes sense that someone as grouchy and unpleasant as Sister Arlinn would want to live by herself.

"She likes her privacy, and we're a little more lax about things like this than you would expect." Sister Breya explains.

"I can see that." I say, looking them up and down once more.

"Hmm, well, it's convenient we've run into you- I've actually been meaning to speak with you." Sister Gisela brings up with a smile.

"M-me?" I question, pointing at myself in disbelief, a wave of concern washing over me.

"If you don't mind- I promise not to keep you very long, I just wanted to have a word with you, when I got the chance." She explains before turning to Hal. "You wouldn't mind if I stole her for just a little bit, would you?"

"You ask, but I feel like I don't actually have a say." She sighs, hitting me with a look that's both apologetic as much as it is frustrated. "So long as she's okay with it, I don't mind."

There's something in her eyes that makes me feel like I should be worried about all this, but I'm not exactly sure what, in the face of Sister Gisela's near-angelic smile. If it's one thing I've learned, though, it's that looks can be incredibly decieving, that or I should absolutely be worried if someone like Hal finds reason to be. However, even though I want to deny her, I face down Sister Gisela's honey-sweet demeanor like I'm facing down a dragon.

"It's alright I don't mind." I say with a reassuring gaze in Hal's direction. "Lead the way, I guess."

"Excellent- you can go on ahead, dear, I'll catch up after I'm finished." Sister Gisela says to Sister Bruna, who responds with an accepting nod. The way that she says "dear" makes me think that my random guess about them being on a date wasn't totally inaccurate.

"I'll meet you back at the dorms- guess our plans will have to wait for another day." Hal sighs before leaning in and giving me a quick kiss on the cheek, but I can see that it's an action done completely in defiance, judging by the un-blinking stare she hits the two women with as she does so. Keeping herself lingering close, she leaves me with a soft whisper right in my ear,

"Don't let your guard down."

It's such a serious command that I can feel my heart skip a beat as I force myself to keep from nodding. She pulls away and takes her leave, followed closely by Sister Bruna who leaves Sister Gisela with a parting brush up her arm with the feather-light touch of her fingers. For a split second, she reaches out, and their hands meet breifly- a moment that lasts the span of a breath, but means enough for someone much more eloquent than me to write pages and pages of beautiful sonnets about.

"Sister Gisela, I-"

"Just Gisela is fine, dear, given the circumstances, I don't think we need to be so formal." She cuts me off with yet another disarming smile. "There's a lovely cafe not too far from here, I'll treat you to a drink."

"I-I couldn't possibly-"

"I insist." Again she interrupts me, and at this point I'm starting to feel like it's deliberate- like it's her way of showing dominance, by keeping me having as little a word in our conversation as possible. Feeling slightly defeated, I give in, and follow after her without a word.

Even though it's just a quick word over drinks, I can't help but feel staggeringly overwhelmed.

* * *

Said "lovely cafe" has turned out to be a joint where it feels like I have to pay for breathing inside, definitely no place for me in my old, beat up jacket with a hole in one of the elbows, and worn-out jeans, but Gisela seems to fit right in as she sips her tea that had a very long, complex, french-sounding name. The menu had been written in such fancy cursive, I wound up just ordering a plain, old coffee while I avoided eye contact with our server who I didn't need to look at to know they had been turning up their nose at me. We sit out on the balcony that looks out over a small park situated snugly among the towering buildings, drinking in silence, while I wonder if she's expecting me to say something first.

"So what... did you want to talk about?"

Ah, so she's letting me complete whole, entire sentences now, huh?

"I'll get right to the point, since this isn't an issue that should be tip-toed around: what you're doing is incredibly reckless... and selfish." Gisela digs in, cutting right for the heart of the matter.

"Wow... are my table manners really that bad?" Naturally, I try and lighten the heavy mood with a joke, but I can tell it lands totally flat by how hard Gisela's cup clatters against the fancy saucer it came with.

"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it." She says with a huff. "You're putting yourself, and _especially_ Hal, in danger just so you can continue this relationship of yours that should never have been in the first place. Hal should have wiped your memory, like she was supposed to, instead of exposing our secret world to a total outsider just because she went weak at the knees over the first 'I love you' she heard."

All of Gisela's sweetness and warmth is gone, replaced instead with an icy stare that I swear is turning my coffee cold.

"Why is it so bad that she chose me!?" I can't help but shout, slamming one of my hands against the table. My outburst draws stares from other cafe patrons, who begin to whisper behind hands and drawn-up menus, and I shrink back, sliding down in my chair and feeling incredibly small despite the incredible amount of anger in my chest that feels like it dwarfs me. "Why do you people insist on looking down on our relationship...?"

"It's not necessarily that we look down on it- well, perhaps Avacyn does, but I feel what you two have isn't something you should be ashamed of... but it still should not be." Gisela elaborates, pausing to take a long sip of her tea. "Hunter partners are decided based on compatibility that runs deeper than emotions. They are meant to live together, fight together and survive together, even in the worst circumstances, and thus need to be thoroughly connected. Hal is a very promising hunter, she needs someone just as talented and promising- but she refused to be patient and wait for us to decide, and made the decision for herself. She's a girl of only 18, she hardly knows herself the way that the order of Saint Avacyn does, a partnership she forms now, by herself, is doomed to fail."

"How do _you_ know that?" I ask, practically spitting my words that I'm now forcing myself to keep quiet. "What possibly makes you an expert on this, huh!?"

"Because I did the exact same thing when I was your age, and it only led to misery... and death." Gisela mutters as she folds her hands around her teacup. Her gaze finally softens, openly revealing her sadness to me.

"Death?" I parrot, feeling as my once burning insides begin to cool.

"I was once like you, so sure I'd made the right decision, so certain I could prove that I didn't need a silly system to pick my partner for me. I already had her, or so I was convinced: my dear, precious Liesa." Gisela sighs, looking out over the balcony, her lips forming into a sad smile as she reflects. "My love was real and genuine, just like the love you and Hal have, but it was far from being ideal, and I refused to see it, no matter how much Avacyn told me that it wasn't meant to be."

"... What happened to her?" I dare to pry after a brief silence that falls over our conversation.

"I was made to learn the hard way that the heart isn't always right, and as much as we loved one another, Liesa and I could never be fully in sync with one another." Gisela shakes her head as her eyes drift closed. "On our first major hunt, she died trying to protect me. I was fully capable of getting myself out of the situation, but she couldn't recognize that... she wound up giving up her life for what would have amounted to nothing, and I've had to bear that burden my whole life since."

She pauses as she reached into her shirt, pulling a gold chain that had been previously hidden under her clothes. I expect to spy some sort of crucifix dangling from it, but much to my surprise it turns out to be a golden band that catches the sunlight just right, gleaming brilliantly.

"Bruna and I have been secretly married for years, and my love for her is just as real as my love for Liesa had been- but this time with the added bonus that we hunt as one, with our hearts truly connected." She says, her sadness starting to drift away the longer she looks at the ring. "The system we have works, and the bonds that grow from it are very real- Hal just refuses to realize this, and it's probably her self-assured influence that moved you to take up such a dangerous task to try and prove yourself. But, it's not too late to reconsider."

"But, I-!"

"This _has_ to end Alena!" She goes back to cutting me off, refusing to hear any of my words. "Please, spare her the agony I've had to live with, Hal doesn't deserve to suffer like I have!"

"Why are you putting so much pressure on me!?" I snarl through clenched teeth. "Why are you telling me all this!?"

"Because, Alena..." Gisela's voice grows serious as she locks eyes with me, and despite how much I want to, I can't bring myself to look away. She has me in an invisable grip so strong that it squeezes the air right out of my lungs. "You're the one who said 'I love you' first."

* * *

I arrive back at the dormitory, feeling like my arms and legs are made of lead. Other students are just getting back, too, and I force myself to choke back and conceal my anguish. Rumors spread fast in our tightly-packed community of gossip-hungry teenagers, so it's best to keep any sort of conflicts to yourself, or with people you trust, unless you want the entire school knowing about your latest, greatest personal problem. However, I start to feel my walls immediately begin to crumble as I turn the corner, towards my dorm room, and spy Hal waiting patiently for me right outside. I don't even have to make a single sound, it's as if she feels me there, standing at the end of the hall, and glances up, looking more than a little concerned.

"Finally, you're back!" She sighs as she rushes to my side, closing the space between us with a hug I can just barely return with arms limply wrapping around her.

"Sorry you had to wait for me." I apologize. I want to say sorry for a lot of things, on my short trip here I've managed to make a sizable list, but this feels like a good place to start.

"Don't be, I'm happy to wait for you..." Hal says as she pulls away, and her relieved smile immediately melts away, and her eyebrows knit together in worry. "What did she say to you?"

"Nothing! Just a bunch of crap, it's fine." I attempt to shrug it off, but even I can hear how unconvincing my voice sounds as I try to play off my meeting with Gisela as having just been us shooting the shit over expensive coffee and tea.

"Don't lie to me, Alena." She says my name with such force, like a disappointed parent. "I know Gisela, she wouldn't have called you out personally just to have a chat- she always as an ulterior motive. I can see it in your eyes, she said something cruel." As she speaks, Hal brushes hair tenderly out of my face and studies it, her kissable lips now drawn into a frown.

"C...can we talk about this somewhere private?" I ask, hearing voices of other students as they begin climbing up the stairs. Boldly, I take her hand, giving it a quick tug. "No one will bother us in my room."

We, thankfully, make it inside before anyone sees, and I remain leaning against the door as Hal wanders deeper into the room. I can't help but think to myself, as I stare down at my shoes, that it's quite the waste of an incredibly good opportunity, that I brought her into my empty dorm room to tell her about what Gisela had said, and not for something more intimate. It feels like so much of our time alone is spent focused on our secret double lives and not getting to relish in the fact we're more than just a couple of girls chasing after werewolves after hours: we're a _couple_. There's an emptiness I feel, and I dread this was exactly what Gisela had been talking about.

"Alena." My name from out of Hal's lips rings out like a bell, and I look up to see her standing close, one arm reaching out to press her hand against the door, blocking one route of possible escape- if I even wanted to, that is. "You're really quiet, and it's starting to freak me out. What did Gisela say to you!?"

"She..." My voice catches in my throat. I can't possibly look Hal in the eyes as I say it, so I allow my gaze to sink back down to the floor. "She said us being together... was dangerous. She said that, if we keep things up this way... I'm only going to wind up making you suffer."

"Please tell me you didn't actually buy into what she said."

"But what if she's right!?" I shout despite the lump growing in my throat. "They have a system to find you a perfect partner... I'm just a random girl who's only good at keeping up with you because of a curse that's going to fade away eventually! Just because I told you I loved you... is it really worth taking such a huge risk? I could die... _you_ could die... because of _me._ "

I feel the sudden pressure of Hal taking my face in both of her hands, and before I even have a chance to gasp, she's lifted my head and presses a long, deep kiss against my lips. My muffled cry of surprise is all I can manage before I melt into her, returning the gesture even though my heart aches and I swear I was a good second away from crying. Before long, the chill of sadness is replaced by an overwhelming warmth that leaves me a panting, blushing mess once Hal finally pulls away, giving us both time to catch our breaths.

"I don't care about any of that. I don't want to be hooked up with a stranger who everyone insists is perfect for me! _You're_ perfect for me, Alena, I don't need hundreds of years of stuffy, strict tradition to tell me that!" She says through heaving breaths as she takes me by the shoulders and pulls me closer to her, to which I more than willingly allow. "I want to fall in love the real way, not because I'm supposed to by some tired, old design! Fuck Gisela, fuck Avacyn and _fuck_ whoever the hell it was who they were so sure was perfect for me! We're going to prove them wrong... together!"

"Hal..." My voice comes out quivering, and not just because of my shortness of breath. My heart pounds against my chest as my eyes start to water. I feel like shit for allowing myself to get influenced by Gisela's warning, but at the same time I'm so full of adoration I'm afraid that I'm going to pop like a balloon- and only one thing will resolve both, or rather _three_ things: "I love you."

"I love you!" Hal says back, pressing a kiss against my forehead.

"I love you" I repeat myself, feeling better with each time those words fly from my mouth with passionate gasps.

"I love you." She says again, pressing a quick kiss against my waiting lips.

"I love you." I say one last time before she kisses me again, much more intensely than before, as she wraps me tightly in her arms. I do so as well, losing myself in a kiss I wish would never, ever end.

* * *

Unfortunately the kiss did end, as much as I would have liked to spent an eternity being held in Hal's arms and tasting the faint flavor of mint upon her lips. I can still taste it now, hours later, as we stand outside The Silver Moon Pub. I can hear people talking and sometimes even shouting, feet pacing along the wooden floors inside and the chaotic shuffle of what seems to be the very beginnings of a rowdy argument. I'm not sure if I should be worried about the fact we're in a questionable part of town in the dead of night, or what could possibly greet us inside. Personally, I feel safer out here- at least these unfeeling, dark streets and the average drunk passerby aren't going to morph into a wolf and bite my head off... I hope.

"Welp, this is the place." The third member of our party, a very unenthusiastic Oko, who Hal had made sure to nab just as the guy was getting off of work, says with a sarcastic wave of his hand. "Ladies, it's been a real treat, as always, have fun getting mauled alive by feral-"

Before he can make his escape, Hal grabs him by the collar of his uniform and yanks him back, and he makes a strangled noise as he loses the short amount of ground he had managed to sneakily cover.

"No prancing back to your nest just yet, Oko. Don't think we just brought you along to show us the way." She says teasingly. "Its your _other_ skill set we needed you for."

"Seriously!?" Oko groans before furiously rolling his eyes. "I swear, if I get chewed up within an inch of my life helping you brats, you'd better take a good decade or two off this humiliating sentence I'm under with you people."

"If it comes to that, we'll see." Hal huffs with a noncommittal shrug before turning back to me. "So how about it, what's the mood sound like in there?"

"They're definintly not just hanging out, if that's what yo're asking." I say, scrunching up my face as I force myself to concentrate. "Nothing that seems too dangerous for us, but they're starting to really argue in there."

"Well, then, let's make our grand entrance before the bar fight ensues." Hal says, pulling her silver pistol from it's holster. Giving the barrel full of silver bullets a quick spin, she snaps everything back into place and stows her weapon away. "Ready?"

"I-I think..." I say with a nervous nod.

"I'm not." Oko adds with a groan.

"Pretty sure I didn't ask." Hal shoots over her shoulder before leading the way into the bar, throwing the door open and taking a confident step inside with a loud, attention-catching stop of her boot.

For as much a commotion as there had been before, the entire bar goes dead silent in an instant, to the point where it's overwhelming. All eyes are on us as we enter, and all those eyes are familiar: the three surviving people who we had met the night before. The man built like a brick shithouse hunches over behind the bar, while the other two stand on the other side, not a glass, bottle or drop of alcohol between them. Whatever they had gathered here for, it wasn't for a cheeky weekend drink, and it certainly involved making enough ruckus for two of three times the amount of people actually present.

"You fuckers again!?" The man in dreadlocks snarls, pulling away from the bar and squaring up with the three of us. "Come to spring another ambush on us again, huh?"

"Like I told you before, none of that was us- we were all set up!" Hal insists, hand already hovering over her pistol.

"By what, that monster that attacked us!?" The young woman questions with am unconvinced snort. "Werewolves don't sabotage other werewolves like that, if we have disagreements with another pack, we don't stoop so low as to spring traps on each other- not like you filthy, sneaky humans!"

"Look, we didn't come here for a fight! We heard that someone or something is targeting werewolves, there's no way you haven't noticed by now, as tightly knit as you all are!" Hal struggles to take control of the conversation. "We need your help so we can track that monster down and stop it before it kills anyone else!"

"You hunters are only bringing misfortune wherever you go." The bulkiest of the three accuses as he steps out from behind the bar and begins stomping in our direction. "First Mattheaus, then Elyse- we're not taking any chances if it means a third one of our pack has to die! I don't care how virtuous you think your little mission is, get out before I throw you out!"

"Oko..." Hal mutters under her breath in his direction.

"I can't use my full powers unless you people give me permission, remember?" He says with an incredible amount of attitude, given the situation and how we're seconds away from Mister Big, Bad and Beefy from hurling us out onto the street like shot put balls.

"Alright, god, permission granted, just get to casting!" Hal impatiently snaps.

"Not so fast, fairy boy!" The man growls angrily, but before he can lay a single finger on Oko, he confidently snaps his fingers with a smirk so mischievous and satisfied that I have to wonder if doing so is sexually satisfying for him in some way.

In an instant, the man is gone, and I'm almost disappointed I blinked and missed exactly what had happened. In his place, a tiny little pomeranian scampers in furious, tiny circles, pathetically snarling and yapping away, bearing it's itty-bitty fangs at Oko's ankles.

"It's 'fae boy' thank you very much." He says with an incredible amount of sass now that he's no longer facing down a charging wall of living muscle and fury. "Damn, that felt good! The two of you better behave, unless you want live out the rest of your lives as a couple of pathetic little puffballs."

"We didn't come here to start a fight, but we'll sure as hell finish it if you force us." Hal threatens. "We need you to cooperate with us and tell us everything you know about these attacks, and that werewolf we saw the night before- and if you do, I'll see to it that the remainder of your pack is protected until we solve this case."

The two remaining at the bar share nervous glances, sharing a conversation that's mostly just very animated facial expressions and agonized grunting. She throws up her hands, he groans with a shrug of his shoulders and they both sigh in defeat. For the first time tonight, I actually feel relieved as the tension bleeds from the room.

"Fine, fine- just change Clinton back!" The woman insists.

"You heard the woman, Oko." Hal says.

"Aww, but look at him, he's so cute- much better this way, I think." Oko argues.

"That wasn't a suggestion, it was a command- de-puppify the guy, unless you want all these years you've already put in to go up in smoke!"

"Alright, alright, sheesh! Can't a guy crack a little joke?" He groans as he snaps his fingers again, and in an instant, it's the beefy man, Clinton, sitting on the floor with his teeth half bared, an embarrassing, tiny snarl escaping his mouth before he realizes he's been turned back to normal. Oko passes him by, giving him an almost affectionate pat on the head. "I'll have an Adios Motherfucker, as strong as you can make it."

"Try to ignore him, he's a bastard by nature." Hal sighs as we finally take more than a few steps into the bar.

"Most typical fae are." The woman agrees, still eyeing us with a mistrusting sharpness. "Most humans are, too."

"Werewolves don't exactly have the most stunning reputation, either, but perhaps we should bury our biases until we have everything settled." Hal responds smoothly. "I'm Hal, by the way, and this is my girlfriend, Alena."

I awkwardly lift my hand in greeting, my stomach doing several awkward flips being introduced as her "girlfriend", but to a couple of strangers who clearly don't completely trust us.

"I'm Fenton, and she's Sachi." The man says, in about as few words as he could possibly think to use. There's cooperation, and then there's trust, and we clearly haven't gotten to that point yet. "And before we tell you people anything, you need to tell us what-"

Before he can finish his question, a loud crash commands everyone's attention as the entire front door flies right passed my vision before slamming against the opposite wall, plowing through tables and knocking down signage. The hinges are absolutely destroyed, nothing more than twisted mettle with the bolts hanging on for dear life, and an impressive dent right in the center of the door, about the size and shape of a massive foot.

"I knew it!" Owner of said massive foot bellows from the entrance, and a shiver runs up my spine so violently that it actually causes me pain, as I recognize the voice right away. Encountering anyone who can kick a door clean off its hinges and send it sailing across the room is bad news in any case, but I can say first hand that it's much, much worse when you know who that person is, and that they aren't you biggest fan. I want desperately to run and hide, but as I damn well know, running is never an option once you're in the sights of Mr. Wildspeaker.

And, _holy shit_ , he is holding the biggest ax I've ever seen in my short life- which, at this point, I wonder if I'll be able to see any more of after tonight.

"I had my suspicions, but now I'm absolutely sure..." He says as he takes a lumbering step inside. "... The werewolf I've been tracking all this time has been you two brats all along!"


	6. Chapter 6

I don't know what to dedicate more brain power into processing: the fact that Mr. Wildspeaker just accused Hal and I of being werewolves, or the fact that he's walking right into the bar with an ax that could cleave an entire horse in half if you gave it a good enough swing. I don't know if I should prioritize defending myself, or finding the nearest exit not blocked by his massive form.

Hal taking me by the arm and pulling me close draws me out of my panicked thoughts, but unfortunately forces me to face down this scary gardener turned bloodthirsty huntsman.

"After the trail went cold at that school, I thought I'd lost my chance to get my revenge- but I always held out hope that the monster was hiding right under my nose." He continues, lumbering ever closer. Each heavy footstep feels like it shakes the entire building- or maybe that's just me. "Don't think that I didn't notice you two acting strange once those killings started up again- sneaking around school, running off in the middle of the night! This all ends here!"

"You've got the wrong idea!" Hal insists, pulling me protectively behind her. "We're not werewolves!"

"And yet here you are, in a den crawling with them." He snarls, before holding his ax aloft, like it's nothing at all, and pointing it right over her shoulder, in my direction. Staring down the silver blade, I feel like I'm a half-second away from shitting out all of my internal organs in fear. "And this one... you _wreak_ of werewolf. The second I smelled you back at the school, I knew..."

"Th-that's not me!" I cry with a wild shake of my head. "That's... that's probably the lycantopical curse!"

"It's lycanthropic." Hal corrects me under her breath.

"L-lymecroft-" My tongue ties itself up into knots. It's just like public speaking class all over again, except this time instead of receiving a failing grade, I'm gonna get sliced into bits.

"ENOUGH!" Mr. Wildspeaker bellows, his anger reaching a fever pitch effortlessly fast.

"Oko, we could really use your he-" Hal turns her attention to the bar, where Oko is sitting- or, rather, _had_ been sitting. On top of being able to take flawless human form, and turning people into animals, Oko appears to also have an impressive vanishing act, having left his drink untouched. I want to be mad, but at the same time, I really can't blame the guy. If I had a way to magically poof my way out of here, I would have done it the second Mr. Wilspeaker kicked the door off its hinges. Hal, on the other hand, doesn't seem to share an opinion as she growls out a sharp, furious, "asshole!"

"This ends tonight!" Mr. Wilspeaker barks, tightly gripping his ax in both his hands.

"Hey, whatever you've got going on with these brats, we don't want any trouble." Clinton cautiously steps out from behind the bar, looking about as furious as Mr. Wilspeaker does. "So why don't you all take your shit, and get the hell out of my-"

Before he can finish, however, the second he gets close enough to reach out and touch his arm, Mr. Wilspeaker lashes out, jerking the handle of his ax up and striking Clinton clean in the jaw. To add insult to injury, as his opponent staggers backward, he lands a signature door-dismantling kick right in the center of his chest, sending his sailing back over the bar, knocking over bottles and bottles of expensive liquor from off the shelves.

"Clint!" Fenton shouts, the mood in the bar going from tense to rife with furious energy as Sachi launches herself at Mr. Wildspeaker without even an ounce of caution. I can see the glint of her teeth- impossibly huge, sharp canine teeth in an otherwise human mouth- before she sinks them into his arm. He's easily able to shake her off, flinging her clear across the room with a angry flailing motion, but once he's free of her, Fenton is almost immediately upon him.

He's messed with a pack that's already lost enough already, they were probably a nasty cough in their direction from flying into a frenzy anyway. I can't help but stand in awe, but before the fight escalates even further, Hal jerks me by the arm and pulls me into the direction of the back room. I can hear Mr. Wildspeaker growl furiously behind us, no doubt watching us make our escape but being held at bay by the wrong crowd he'd decided to mess with.

But, as we round the corner, the back door immediately in plain sight, I can't help but feel... _worried._

"We can't just leave them- isn't there anything we can do to help!" I gasp as I plant my feet solidly into the ground before Hal can pull me out into the back ally.

"I'm duty-bound to fight and dispose of monsters who threaten this city, Alena! I can handle fae and hunt werewolves of any size, but I can't hurt humans, it's against my code!" She explains frantically, still pulling on my arm. "If I fight Mr. Wildspeaker, and I hurt him- or god forbid I kill him... let's just say my life as a hunter is over."

"But what if he kills those other three!" I snap.

"That's..." Hal looks to me desperately, several conflicted words cut off before they can be given form. Eventually, she gives up, and shamefully drops her gaze towards the ground. "That's a risk we'll just have to take."

"No!" I shout, finally finding the strength to pull myself away. "They're not human, but those three are innocent, and they're about to be chopped up onto dog meat because of us! We have to do something!"

"I can't!" Hal cries.

"... But _I_ can." I don't have the luxury to think clearly, or second guess myself. Without another word, I spin around and run back into the bar, Hal desperately calling after me. For once, her voice doesn't give me pause, and in fact forces me further away from her.

I re-enter the bar to find things have escalated extremely fast. Fenton is on the ground, and I can smell blood before I can see it. He's clutching his side, and I can see his entire hand slick with crimson, but the extent of his injuries are obscured by Sachi, who's positioned herself protectively over him. If that wasn't enough, the centerpiece of the chaos is absolutely Clinton and Mr. Wildspeaker, who are currently fighting for control over the ax, the blade now stained with a splash of red. Neither party seems to have the upper hand, but fighting toe to toe against Mr. Wilspeaker's might forced Clinton to go full werewolf, positioning him several heads taller than his attacker who keeps him far enough away from biting his face clean off.

Neither of them take notice of me, but Sachi locks eyes with me right away, and despite our differences in the beginning, her gaze is pleading. I'm the filthy human that got her packmates slaughtered, at least from their perspective, but right now I'm also the only help they can get. And, lucky for her, I'm not just a regular human, and as much of a pain in the ass as it was in the beginning, I can't help but be grateful now for that lyman...

Lycranth...

Lime in the Coconut...

Werewolf curse thing.

I hear Hal call my name again, this time catching the attention of Mr. Wilspeaker, who starts to look over his shoulder. I don't have much time, my chance to plan a strategy now cut down to mere seconds. As much as I wanted to save the day doing something impressive, it looks like I'm left with nothing but the tried and true caveman method of grabbing the nearest thing and hitting someone in the head with it- this time being a chair that wasn't smashed to bits in the scuffle. I grab the back in both my hands and spring forward with all my might.

For a split-second that almost makes me drop my improvised weapon in terror, Mr. Wildspeaker and I lock eyes, and I can practically taste my fear. But, despite the horribly bitter taste that makes me shiver to the point of nausea, I swallow it back and follow through, slamming the chair against his head in a move that would put most professional wrestlers to shame. With a sickening thwack, he flies to the side as the chair explodes into pieces, each of the four legs flying in all directions as the seat itself splinters. Among the broken bits of chair, Mr. Wilspeaker's body lands on the ground with a loud thud, leaving Clinton standing over him, clutching his ax.

I hold my breath as the seconds drag by. If he's still conscious, however pissed Mr. Wildspeaker was, he's going to be hundreds of times more now, and I'm clean out of chairs. However, much to my relief, he groans in agony before going completely limp, and I can finally heave out a sigh.

"Alena! Holy shit!" Hal gasps as she runs up behind me, jerking me back before realizing that Mr. Wildspeaker isn't in any hurry to get up and strangle me for giving him the chair. Without a word, she runs passed me and drops down to his side, immediately going about checking his vitals and the impressive head wound he now has because of me.

"I didn't... he's not seriously hurt, is he?" I ask. As much as I wanted to help the other three, I wasn't exactly aiming to stoop down to committing manslaughter either.

"He's probably super concussed, but he's alive, if that's what you're asking." She sighs, but her relief is short lived as Clinton staggers close, still in his intimidating wolf form, the ax held tight in his hands.

"Not for long, he's not!" He growls. "He needs to pay for what he did to Fenton!"

"Stop!" Hal pleads as she positions herself protectively over Mr. Wildspeaker, which doesn't really account for much, since he's several times her size, and what is she exactly expecting to do against an ax? "I know your pissed, but right now there's definitely other things beside revenge you need to worry about!"

"Like what!?" Clinton shouts through his bared fangs. "This man broke in here, smashed up my bar and attacked us! I don't see any reason why I shouldn't at least relieve him of one of his arms, or his foot that smashed in my door!"

"That blade is made of silver!" Hal points out, struggle to take control over the situation once again. "It's a weapon made with werewolves like you in mind- if he managed to get in even a blow with it, it's not going to be pretty!"

Almost as if on cue, the sound of Fenton crying out in agony cuts Clinton off before he can speak. All of us turn our attention to him as he struggles and squirms on the ground, frothing at the mouth as he clutches his side. Sachi attempts to keep him steady, but it's clearly a losing battle as her expression grows panicked and her eyes glisten with tears threatening to overflow.

"Clinton, he's-" She gasps, pulling Fenton close to her, despite how violently he's starting to writhe. Blood from his wound immediately soaks into her shirt. "Something's wrong, he was fine just a second ago!"

"If you don't get help for him soon, that silver from that ax is going to poison him, and kill him slowly!" Hal explains urgently.

"You little bitch, I-!" Clinton snaps.

"I know someone who can help!" She cuts him off, completely unwavering before his boiling anger. "So long as you don't kill our school groundskeeper, I can take you to her, and make sure he gets the treatment he needs!"

"This isn't some kind of trick, is it?" Clinton grumbles suspiciously, his mood quickly softening at even the slightest mention that Fenton can be saved.

"We never came here to trick or hurt you, and that point still stands, so long as you agree to drop that ax and work with us." Hal says with a nod. "Nobody has to die tonight."

Clinton growls, bearing his fangs once more, but he does as he's told and allows the ax to slip from his hands and loudly clatter to the floor.

"Who is it that you know?" I can't help but ask, and Hal turns to me with a furrowed brow. Things didn't turn out as bad as she thought they would, but she's still clearly upset that I went against her, and I start to beleieve she's going to just give me the cold shoulder.

"A friend who specializes in these sorts of cases, obviously..." She mutters. "As well as... an ex-hunter."

* * *

The Reid Family Veterinary Clinic is a small joint tucked away near the far edge of town, proudly advertising that they specialize in the care and needs of exotic animals. All around the half-lit, tiny waiting room at the front of the building, there are an impressive amount of pictures of the the face of the clinic posing with what I assume to be her patients: lions, tigers, bears, oh my, Doctor Vivien Reid has helped and posed beaming beside all of them. I've gotten a good chance to look at all of them, and wonder what sort of person she is, since I was almost immediately sent out into the waiting room. There were already too many cooks in the kitchen as it was, and out of everybody present, I was helping the least by standing around.

"Ex hunter..." The words drift freely from my mouth as I think aloud. The way Hal said those words sounded dirty, like it was a thing to be ashamed of. I should be more concerned about Fenton making a full recovery, or whether or not I've given Mr. Wildspeaker permanent brain damage, but even now I can't help but feel curious about what would make someone stop being a hunter. Hal, especially, treats it like such an important undertaking, the concept that someone could and would quit didn't cross my mind.

It occurs to me now that, in all of her pictures, Doctor Reid isn't with anyone else.

"Looks like you managed to make it out of that scuffle alive."

I nearly fall out of my chair as a voice pierces the silence I had been basking in, and someone suddenly appears in my peripheral vision in the space of a blink. I can't help but make the ugliest, most dramatic gasp as I ungracefully leap out of my chair, and it earns me a highly-amused laugh from my surprise guest: Oko.

" _You!_ " I hiss, pointing an accusing finger in his direction. "Where the hell did you go!?"

"Did you really expect me to stick around when tall, dark and fuck no barged in there with an ax that size?" He asks, narrowing his eyes, like the answer should have been obvious. "The second anyone brings out any sized weapon, I make it a point not to involve myself."

"Hal is going to kill you- we really could have used your help!" I warn him, but Oko heeds the threat on his life like a passing breeze as he rolls his eyes.

"Why do you think I came out here and didn't make an appearance in the back?" He smirks. "If your girlfriend wants to come and give me my due punishment, she knows my work schedule."

"Why did you even come back anyway?" I ask him. "I mean, if you're going to run and hide like a coward, the least you could do would be to have a little consistancy."

"Just making sure you two brats didn't get yourselves killed while I was gone. If you, or especially Hal, died on my watch, Avacyn would come out of that hole she's hiding in and rip me several new ones." He explains. "I'll take Hal bitching at me on the clock over having to interact with _that_ miserable woman any day- if you could even call her that."

"You know about Avacyn?" I perk up a little. It's strange hearing her same out of the mouth of someone who isn't from our school, in the context that she's a strange immortal person running a monster hunting practice and not a local saint.

"Of course I do, I'm not a blissfully naive human like you." Oko says, wrinkling his nose a bit. "She's a real piece of work- one that outdoes the entire rest of this city's gallery of freaks who keep to the shadows. And, she wraps herself in so much mystery, I don't even know what she is... besides a monster."

"A monster?" I question, but before I can get anything more out of him, the door to the back room creaks open, and Oko snaps his fingers, vanishing as quickly as he appeared. "H-hey!"

"Miss Alena, is everything alright?" Comes the voice of Doctor Reid as she circles around the front desk to meet me, and I have to compose myself as quickly as I can.

Doctor Vivien Reid is a stunning woman- a literal diamond in the rough part of town. Her dark-brown skin shows the delicate signs of aging, but they seem to only add to her beauty than detract from it. She has thick, dark, wavy hair, a shock of white that boarders her face standing out, and her eyes are so vividly green they practically glow in the dark. I kind of have to wonder, if one of the requirements for being a hunter is to be stunningly gorgeous, and if so, I don't know if my heart can take a constant stream of absolute babes.

"E-everything's fine..." I lie in the weakest way possible, my brain still too hard on swoon mode to let me think up an excuse. "W-what about the others? Are they alright!?"

"The young man will live, but he should feel incredibly lucky I had the resources to do a transfusion of that size. It's been a long time since I've had to take care of a humanoid patient." Doctor Reid assures me with a smile. "So long as he gets some rest and doesn't do anything too hasty, he'll be in the clear."

"That's a relief..." I sigh. "And... what about...?"

"Ah, yes, the _other_ patient you and Hal brought me." Her tone shifts only slightly, but I can tell she's a little bothered by all the work she suddenly became saddled with on such short notice. "My expertise isn't in treating normal humans, but it just seems he has slight head trauma, nothing serious, nothing a boatload of painkillers won't help fix. In fact, he should be waking up any minute now."

"Oh... great." Somehow, the fact that man I knocked out with a chair is going to be conscious soon doesn't put me at ease as much as Doctor Reid thinks it does. "I'm guessing you want me back there to help Hal explain things to him, then?"

"I'm sure Hal would appreciate it.." She chuckles. "It looks like you girls have had quite the night."

"Quite the week is more like it." I say as I follow her into the back of the clinic. "I'm new to this whole hunting business, but it's really starting to take its toll."

"Yes, it does have the tendency to do that..." Doctor Reid sounds oddly unsure, and I can see her smile faltering slightly.

"Hal... mentioned you used to be a hunter, too." I bring up cautiously. It's none of my business, but my nagging curiosity demands I at least try, even if I wind up getting shot down in the end. "... Why did you stop?"

"Ah, that old story..." She muses in a way that's so melancholy that it makes my own heart hurt. "It's been a while since I told it..."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to... I just..." I mutter, unable to stop myself. "All of this hunting stuff is new to me, and I can't help wondering what could possibly drive someone to not want to continue?"

"Hmm..." Doctor Reid hums thoughtfully to herself, before she stops and turns to me, resting her hands on my shoulders. "Tell me, Alena, do you love Hal?"

"D-do I...?" I feel my face grow warm, but despite my blush, the words come easily after the initial surprise. "Of course I do! I wouldn't be here if I didn't love her!"

"Then... you'll do everything in your power to keep yourself alive." She says, looking me dead in the eyes. "It may be your duty to follow orders and protect this city from supernatural threats, but your bond... I know how Avacyn works, and I know the good she has done for Innistrad, but she sealed her heart away a long time ago and doesn't understand that once a bond like the one you and Alena have is broken, nothing else feels worth protecting."

A profound sadness wells up in her eyes, and their color seems to dull a bit. I know, deep down, that these are the eyes of a person who has shed every last tear long before I came here and picked at old wounds.

"I... I see..." I squeak, not pushing the subject any further.

"But, don't go getting worked up over a stranger like me. I've had years to forge a path for myself- I'm not as aimless as I used to be." She assures me. "Just promise you won't get too caught up in being a hero to remember who you're most important to."

"I-I promise!" I exclaim, maybe with a little too much enthusiasm. Out of all the lectures I've received over the years, I feel myself taking this particular one to heart the most.

"Good girl." Doctor Reid gives me a smile that triggers another, deep blush. "Now lets go see how muscles is doing- I don't want to leave Hal in there alone with him once he wakes up."

I agree with a quick nod and file behind her once more, catching a quick glimpse of the others in a room off to the side as we pass. The operating table, which was probably made for animals half the size of Fenton, has been outfitted with several odd pieces of equipment covered in cloth to more comfortably accommodate a full-grown man. Sachi and Clinton are practically hovering around him, but take long enough to notice I'm briefly in their sights, and hit me with individual glares, like I was the one who almost killed their packmate with a huge silver ax- which is literally the next thing I see as I avert my eyes.

"It's very rare to see regular citizens walking around with equipment like this. He must have made a very hefty commission to a very confused silversmith." Doctor Reid notes, realizing I'm staring at it.

"Whoever this Wildspeaker man is, he must have had a very nasty run-in with a werewolf to dedicate himself this hard to hunting them on his own."

"He said he tracked it to our school." I mention as a shiver runs up my spine. "Wouldn't be the first time a monster was hiding right under our noses."

"Vivian!" Hal, suddenly peaking out from one of the rooms, exclaims, cutting off our conversation and immediately locking eyes with me. There's something in her gaze that withers a bit, a flavor of disappointment I'm at least familiar with, though I'm only really used to getting it from older nuns and not my girlfriend. It's a look that lasts only a moment, but I catch it like it was the weakest, underhand slow-pitch in the world, and commit it to memory. "Perfect timing, he's just now starting to wake up."

My stomach lurches nervously as I hear the familiar, albeit groggy voice of Mister Wildspeaker from inside. Doctor Reid appears completely unphased, as someone who I can confirm has worked with bears at some point, but I plant myself solidly right outside.

"I-I don't know, I'm the one who knocked him out- I should probably stay out here." I suggest.

"You, of all people, should be in here for that very reason." Hal retorts, much to my dismay. I want to argue, but the look in her eyes says I better not, so instead I take a long, preparatory breath, like I'm about to be dunked underwater, and follow Doctor Reid inside.

If Fenton's accommodations were haphazardly makeshift, than Mister Wildspeaker's set-up is downright comical. Not sure what it's doing in a veterinary clinic, but a lounge chair has been dragged out from somewhere, equipped with several cushions pulled from other places to make the arrangements more comfortable. Even so, almost his entire lower legs hang over the edge, and the blanket he's been given drapes over him like a flimsy napkin. Even in my growing panic, I make a mental note to remember this very sight, so that I can recall it on a rainy day.

"Where... the hell am I?" He mutters, reaching up to rub at his head, now tightly wrapped with bandages.

"That's not important." Doctor Reid speaks with an incredible amount of authority, a completely different person than the one I'd been speaking to before. "What _is_ important is that you tried to hurt these two young girls, and almost fatally wounded someone else. I don't know exactly what you're after, but your recklessness stops here."

"You're not the boss... of me..." Mister Wildspeaker attempts to get up, but clearly struggles with even moving his legs.

"I wouldn't try moving too much if I were you- I administered a very light sedative to make sure you didn't try and start round two in my clinic." Doctor Reid informs him.

Mister Wildspeaker grumbles before turning his attention to me, very specifically, and narrows his eyes. I was starting to have hope that maybe, in the scuffle, he'd forget what knocked him out, but it's clear he knows exactly why he's here.

"For someone who claims to be a human... you certainly have the strength of a monster..." He grumbles.

"I-I'm not a werewolf!" I stand up for myself, stammering as little as I can. "It's a long story, full of words I have a hard time pronouncing, but I'm not what you think I am!"

"We're hunters- _actual_ hunters," Hal chimes in, joining me at my side. "As in professionals, and not morons who start fights in bars based off nothing but a hunch."

"So what were you doing there, then?" He asks

"We were there to gather information- coincidentally, we're also on the hunt for a werewolf." She explains. "And, on that note, whatever it is you think you're trying to accomplish, this has to stop. We can't have you and that ax running around the city, causing trouble and putting yourself and others in danger. If tonight was any indication-"

"No!" Mister Wildspeaker snaps, his frustration breaking clear through his drugged haze. "I refuse to stop, no little girl is going to stand around telling me what to do! I promised on the graves of my friends that I would kill that monster!"

"Some promises can't be kept." Hal frowns sharply.

"That killer is here, I know it is!"

"Just like you 'knew' that me and Alena were for sure your targets, right?"

Mister Wildspeaker opens his mouth to speak, but it's clear even he realizes that he royally screwed up tonight. His forceful words wither down to a begrudgingly accepting mutters as he leans back in his chair.

"You're not leaving here with that ax." Hal continues, reigniting his desire to argue with her.

"I need that ax!" He insists.

"Right, and I need a million bucks and a tropical vacation." She scoffs. "If tonight was any indication, it's clearly something you can't be trusted with. That's a hunter's weapon, not something just anyone can swing around."

"Why do you need it so badly?" I cut in, finally finding my voice. "What happened to you, to drive you to do stuff like this?"

"Alena, come on, it doesn't matter why-"

"It matters to me!" I shout, immediately punctuating myself with a gasp once my brain catches up with my mouth. By the look on her face, both of us are surprised I raised my voice. "... Maybe, instead of just kicking him to the curb, we could help each other out."

"We don't involve regular civilians with our business, Alena! It's dangerous!" Hal argues, growing more and more unhappy, but I can't stop myself.

"Oh, and somebody like Oko was a real, big help?"

"That isn't the point here, just trust me-"

"No, _you_ need to trust _me!_ " It feels both freeing and devastating as I shout over her. "Just because I'm new at this doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing! You were willing to bend the rules once, Hal, why are you sticking so rigidly to them now that you won't even hear me out!?"

"You already pissed off Avacyn once by insisting we take on this job! I don't want you making things worse!" This time, it's Hal's turn to gasp as she throws her hands over her mouth and shakes her head.

"Is... Is that what you think I'm doing?" I ask, dumbfounded. "Should I have just rolled over and let her tear us apart then!?"

"Alena, please, that's not what I meant-"

"Then what the fuck did you mean!?" I raise my voice, as anger boils in my chest. "Because it sounds like all I've ever done is cause problems for you!"

"Both of you, shut up!" Doctor Reid surprisingly raises her voice, summoning a low, threatening bellow that shuts the both of us right up. "There will be no fighting in my clinic! Settle this on your own time, but not here!"

"But-" Hal starts to speak.

"You, especially, need to go clear your head." She cuts her off. "Nothing good is going to come of letting this conversation continue when both of you are this upset. Go take a walk, and think about what you said- I'll stay here with Miss Alena."

Hal turns to me, and I can just barely see her lip quiver through the cloudy mist of tears beginning to swirl at the edges of my vision. It's a look that speaks a thousand words, but they're distant and unclear, but before I can decipher them, she stomps out of the room, leaving me alone with Doctor Reid and Mister Wildspeaker- a very interesting and unexpected audience to watch as I slowly become a blubbering, sobbing mess. There will be plenty of time to be embarrassed about making a scene later, right now my heart hurts too much to even care.

* * *

In the end, Hal never returned to the clinic. For a while, as I waited in the front lobby, the only solace I had was that the text I had sent her, asking her where she'd gone, had at least been read- but that was all. It gave me plenty of time to go over our fight again and again in my head, trying to figure out where I had gone wrong, and what I could have possibly said differently. My thoughts became my only company- and not necessarily good company, either.

Two things finally happened almost back-to-back, though, as the witching hour started to settle in: Mister Wildspeaker was finally well enough to leave, and I finally got an answer back from Hal.

"I'm alright. I'm back at the dorms."

Nothing more, nothing less. No other messages, no phone call- nothing. I would have cried again, but my sense of shame kept me from setting off the waterworks again in front of Doctor Reid and, especially, Mister Wildspeaker. He, especially, has definitely seen a little too much of the intimate, inner workings of my life at the moment. He knows things that not even Thalia knows, now, and I'm not quite sure how to feel about that other than deeply, thoroughly uncomfortable.

With him needing to return to campus and me not having someone to walk me back, as well, the two of us are sent off together, sans Mister Wildspeaker's intimidatingly large ax, which Doctor Reid confiscated. Not that I'm complaining, since I'd rather not be seen this early in the morning with a man of Mister Wildspeaker's massive size holding the most unsubtle weapon in history. He, on the other hand, probably wants to complain, but says nothing. Neither of us do.

I stare down at my phone, waffling between wanting to text Hal back, and not wanting to say anything to her at all. The words she'd said have left a lingering sting, and keep my fingers, itching to cry-type the most obnoxious tearful apology, at bay.

" _I don't want you making things worse!"_

I cringe, both inward and outward, remembering her words despite how much I'd really rather not. I need a distraction, and quick- and, thankfully, I happen to be walking back to campus with the living embodiment of just what I need.

"You never told me why you're moonlighting as a one-man wolf-hunting machine." I speak up.

"You still want to know?"Mister Wildspeaker asks, sounding a mixture of surprised and deeply, thoroughly annoyed. "Don't you have other things to be worried about?"

"I don't want to think about 'other things' right now." I say as I pocket my phone. "Unless you want to watch me cry again..."

"Please don't." He mutters, sounding exhausted. "But, I'm not the best story teller, I'm warning you now."

"I'm not asking about what happened because I want to be entertained." I assure him. "You said you lost track of your werewolf at St. Avacyn's, if there's something like that hiding around at school, I want to learn as much as I can about it."

"Fine, fine." He says before clearing his throat. "I used to be a park ranger much further up north, practically in the middle of nowhere. I was used to having to deal with large animals- wolves, mountain lions, bears- but then I started having to deal with something else..." He pauses, making a disgusted face.

"What?" I press.

"Carcuses- hundreds of them, and not just defenseless prey animals." He continues. "Every day, we'd come across all kinds of dead wildlife, completely torn to shreds. But what was most troubling was that whatever was going around slaughtering all those animals... was doing it for sport. Everything we found had hardly even been picked at, just torn apart and left to rot in the woods. We suspected a lot of things, mostly some kind of invasive species, or that it was one of the locals, but nothing explained the sheer amount of carnage we saw."

"... Then what happened?" I dare to ask, and Mister Wildspeaker hits me with a chilling side-eye.

"I think you know very well what happens next- it's the reason why I'm here." He says, his voice ice-cold. "My squad, and a group of local authorities we knew set out to find whatever it was causing so much damage. And, like I said, we lived in the middle of nowhere, so everyone pretty much knew each other. Some of us had even known each other since we were kids... I'll never forget what happened- I see it constantly in my nightmares."

He pauses again and looks down at me, and I must have been making some sort of horrified face, because he clicks his tongue and shakes his head.

"But you don't need to know the gory details- a kid your age doesn't need to hear that part."

I don't bother to tell him I've already seen an impressive amount of "gory details" in the past few days alone, I just accept the opportunity to be spared the blood and guts for once and shake my head in agreement.

"All that matters is that I was the only one left alive- that thing spared me, and even let me get a good look at it... like it was mocking me..." He growls, hatefully staring ahead at what is most likely the ghostly specter of the creature that still haunts him. "Like a wolf on two legs, but so much worse. It towered over all of us, everything about it much too long and wide. It had teeth like a shark, and claws that could rend flesh like hot butter. Grey fur, red eyes that weren't quite animal... not quite human either."

"Why do you think it left you alive?" I ask.

"How the hell am I supposed to know? I know what it looks like, and I've learned to spot the signs it's been lurking around somewhere, but I don't know how the damn thing thinks." Mister Wildspeaker huffs. "My best guess, though... I'd say it was for the thrill. Killing things was probably starting to get boring, with nothing that could possibly fight back, so it opted for the rush of being hunted instead."

"The thrill... huh?" I mull over his words as we finally approach the campus, the outer gates just a jog across the street away. With the end of our journey in sight, I pull my phone out of my pocket once more, checking to see-

Nothing. Again. My heart drops, and I try not to let it show.

"Take it from someone who lost all of his friends: there was nothing I could do, but there's still plenty of things you can do." Mister Wildspeaker speaks up, catching me by surprise. "Trust me, nothing will leave you more bitter and alone that 'nothing'."

"R-right..." I stammer, my fingers hovering over the screen.

"Hey, hold on a minute!" A familiar voice calls out, stopping us from crossing the street. I look over my shoulder while Mister Wildspeaker grumbles and continues on, probably realizing where he's not wanted as Sachi and Clinton rush to join us.

"That's right, asshole, keep walking!" Clinton shouts after him. "I better not see you anywhere near my bar again, or I really will kill you!"

"Clint stop, don't go starting shit in front of a Catholic school." Sachi reprimands him, swatting his arm. "We're not here for him, anyway."

"...Me?" I say slowly and carefully as I point up at myself.

"Well, you and your other half, but- well, walls were thin and even then we probably would have heard you two shrieking at each other." She specifies. "So, I guess we'll just have to pass this along to you."

"Pass what along?" I ask, trying my best to ignore the sting of embarassment.

"We wanted to thank you, for helping to get things under control." Clinton says with an approving nod. "Without you, Fenton probably would have died, and I don't know what we would have done if our pack lost another member."

"Oh, that? It's no big deal, hitting people in the face with stuff is just something I do all the time." I chuckle. "But I will let Hal know you said thanks... next time I see her, anyway."

"It's not just that." Sachi says, but, instead of continuing, there's a long, drawn out pause before she smacks Clinton in the chest with the back of her hand.

"Do I have to?" I groans.

"Just saying thanks and peacing out isn't enough, Clinton, you said so yourself." She says. "This was your idea, so you get to pitch it."

"Pitch what?" I ask, quirking an eyebrow.

"Did you have to say it was my idea?" Clinton mutters under his breath, rubbing the back of his head. "... We don't have much information on that rogue werewolf we all saw the other night. Chances are, we probably know as much, if not less than you. But... if you ever need a little muscle, you can... drop by the Silver Moon, and we'll help you out."

"Oh..." I gasp, picking my jaw from off the curb. "... Thanks!"

"Y'see, Clinton here is all bark and no bite. When push comes to shove, he's just a big, sentimental softy." Sachi chuckles, reaching up to pat her companion on the shoulder, who grumbles again and looks off into the distance.

"Are you done?" He asks. "We should head back before Fenton starts to worry..."

"Or are _you_ worried about Fenton?" She teases him. He says not a word, but his guilty expression gives everything and then some away. "Well, like he said, if you need us, just come a-knocking. We owe you one!"

"Thanks again!" I say as they leave. I can't help but watch them, with Sachi clinging onto one of Clinton's beefy arms, huddling close and saying things that are clearly getting a rise out of him. Out of all the freaky, supernatural creatures I've encountered so far, they're the first to show me actual, genuine kindness, so I can't help but feel a bit inspired by them as I look back down at my phone.

"Goodnight." I finally type back. There's millions of words I want to say to Hal, but I manage to hold the floodgates back as I send the one thing, out of all my potential ramblings, that truely matters. "I love you."

It's not a lot, but it's something- and, like Mister Wildspeaker said, that's much better than doing nothing at all.


End file.
